MEDIA ADVISORY: Bishop Michael F. Burbidge to Participate in Ribbon Cutting and Bless New St. Paul VI Catholic High School 68-Acre Campus in Loudoun County  

Paul VI Reopens for 2020-2021 School Year with Hybrid Model Incorporating In-Person Instruction and e-Learning Components 

ARLINGTON, Va. - On Thursday, August 27, 2020, Bishop Michael F. Burbidge, Catholic Diocese of Arlington, will bless and participate in the long-awaited ribbon cutting at St. Paul VI Catholic High School's new 68-acre campus in the Chantilly/South Riding area of Loudoun County. Since Paul VI first opened in 1983, following the purchase and renovation of the former Fairfax High School building in Fairfax City, the student body has grown from 350 to its current size of approximately 1,000 students. The new facilities are a significant upgrade for the school, which has a national reputation for academic excellence, helping students grow in faith and knowledge.

“This is an exciting time for the St. Paul VI Catholic High School community and the Diocese of Arlington. The new state-of-the-art facilities will ensure that the school continues its tradition of excellence in Catholic education for generations to come,” said Bishop Burbidge. “Most importantly, this new campus provides a place for students to find truth through instruction and service inspired by the Gospel. I pray that God will send his Spirit upon the students and teachers at St. Paul VI Catholic High School so that, growing in grace and wisdom, they may follow Jesus Christ, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.”

St. Paul VI Catholic High School Ribbon Cutting, Mass and Blessing

When:           
August 27
8:30 a.m.         Ribbon Cutting, Outside Front of School
9 a.m.              Mass in the School Chapel
10 a.m.            Bishop Burbidge will Bless the Auditorium, Stadium, and Baseball Field

Where:         
St. Paul VI Catholic High School
42341 Braddock Road
Chantilly, VA 20152

Interested Media:          
Media interested in attending, please contact Amber Roseboom, Director of Media Relations, Catholic Diocese of Arlington, at 571-215-8731 or Amber.Roseboom@arlingtondiocese.org.

(*Note - The event is open to media but closed to the general public due to social distancing restrictions.)

In June 2015, the Diocese of Arlington announced Paul VI would be moving to Loudoun County to ensure the school would have a facility to fit its needs and strengthen the school's legacy of excellence. The official groundbreaking for Paul VI's new campus took place on February 16, 2018. Paul VI's new campus is built on a strong foundation. More than 1,000 rosaries-prayed over by faculty, staff, alumni and students-are buried in the foundation of the school.

“We extend our heartfelt appreciation to Whiting-Turner and VMDO Architects, for the care and attention they gave to building our new home, and to our generous donors and PVI supporters who championed our efforts. We could not have done this without our administration, faculty, staff and students who have all, in their own way, been a part of the process,” said Virginia Colwell, Head of School, St. Paul VI Catholic High School. “Moving an entire school to a new location during a global pandemic was a huge undertaking, but with planning, teamwork, faith, and of course social distancing, we are in our new home.”

The PVI teacher/student ratio is 14-to-1, with an average class size of 24 and a one-to-one student laptop program. The school has 67 Dual Enrollment, AP and Honors classes, and 78 extracurricular activities. With its challenging academic curriculum, distinguished performance and fine arts programs, outstanding sports, and wide-ranging extracurricular activities, Paul VI has been recognized as one of the Top 50 Catholic High Schools in the U.S.

Paul VI is opening for the 2020-2021 school year five days a week, utilizing a hybrid model that combines in-person and e-Learning components. The school has implemented a number of changes to allow for safe social distancing, including a cap of 50% of the students in the building at one time and 50% joining in class from home via livestream, switching on an alternating block schedule. Families were also able to choose a 100% virtual option.

For more information on Paul VI, visit paulvi.net.

The visit by Bishop Burbidge to St. Paul VI Catholic High School marks the first of many fall school visits, as all 41 Catholic brick-and-mortar schools throughout the Diocese reopen for either full-time in-person instruction or a hybrid model that incorporates in-person instruction and e-Learning components.

For more information, contact Amber Roseboom, Director of Media Relations, Catholic Diocese of Arlington, at 571-215-8731 or Amber.Roseboom@arlingtondiocese.org.

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The Catholic Diocese of Arlington was established on August 13, 1974, and is home to 71 parishes and more than 460,000 Catholics. There are currently 276 priests serving in the Diocese and 45 seminarians discerning a priestly vocation. The Diocese has 37 parish (K-8) schools, four diocesan high schools, four independent Catholic schools and five free-standing (not connected with a parish school) pre-schools, serving more than 17,000 students. 

The Diocese includes the seven cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Fredericksburg, Manassas, Manassas Park, and Winchester and the 21 counties of Arlington, Clarke, Culpeper, Fairfax, Fauquier, Frederick, King George, Lancaster, Loudoun, Madison, Northumberland, Orange, Page, Prince William, Rappahannock, Richmond, Shenandoah, Spotsylvania, Stafford, Warren and Westmoreland.