Barnesville History
	The Barnesville School had its humble beginning in 1969 as the Barnesville Primary School when Bazy Tankersley sought an educational option for her daughter and other preschool children in this upper Montgomery County area. Their classroom was the Arabian Horse Museum, and these first students were surrounded with a beautiful countryside of streams, trees, and farm animals. Madeleine Dowling served as first head of school. In 1972, Anne Lehman became Barnesville’s second head of school, and under her leadership the school expanded to include kindergarten, first and second grades. Within a few years, Barnesville was growing again and offered classes through sixth grade. As enrollment increased, the school outgrew the Arabian Horse Museum, so it moved to nearby Germantown and rented space in a local church. It was during this time that The Barnesville School opened its first seventh and eighth grades. Before long, Barnesville outgrew this space, so the trustees set their sights on purchasing another facility. After extensive research, the school returned to its first home of the Arabian Horse Museum, as Mrs. Tankersley was moving the museum to Arizona. Undertaking its first capital campaign, The Barnesville School bought its original home in February of 1979.

	In 1984, Jaralyn (Jeri) Hough succeeded Anne Lehman, becoming Barnesville’s third head of school. Under her direction, there have been many positive changes to the program and facilities. In 1985 a four classroom building was added to accommodate growing enrollment, particularly in the primary grades. While the trustees voted in 1987 to eliminate grades 7 and 8 due to a shrinking middle school population, the middle school was re-established in the following decade. Also in 1987, a modular classroom was added to provide indoor space for physical education and group meetings. In 1990, the trustees voted to engage in its second capital campaign, this time adding 20,000 square feet of space to include additional classrooms, an elementary gymnasium, and a dedicated science and art space. Having finished this expansion, the school completed its first accreditation with the Association of Independent Maryland Schools (AIMS) in 1993 and developed a long range plan to chart the waters for the next decade. In 1998, with the approval to increase the student body to 250, planning began to add an additional 25,000 square of learning space, including new dedicated space for art, music, and science, new classrooms, a full-size gymnasium and performing arts center, and a media center. With this complex complete, the School could have the full complement of two sections per grade, from prekindergarten through eighth grade. The following year, the School purchased 28 acres across the street from the School, which includes farmland, trees, and a stream. In 2003, the School also bought an adjoining parcel of 18 acres and a residence, which now serves as the home for the current head of school. Barnesville’s fourth head of school, John Huber, arrived in 2006. While the faces and facilities of The Barnesville School have changed considerably since that beginning in 1969, the culture of the School remains constant. In tune with our peaceful, beautiful setting, we remain committed to providing to our students an environment that is safe, supportive, and nurturing, where each is known and is encouraged to take intellectual risks, become independent and self-reliant, and enjoy the gifts of childhood.