Community Partnership With Boys & Girls Club Ensures Strong Start to the School Year for ACE Academy – Lambs Lane Campus

Boys & Girls Club will host ACEL instruction while construction of the academy’s new building is completed.

By Albemarle County Public Schools

ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. — Albemarle County Public Schools (ACPS) announced that ACE Academy – Lambs Lane Campus (ACEL) will begin the school year at the Boys & Girls Club of Central Virginia’s Albemarle Campus located on Lambs Lane. Despite significant progress on the ACEL facility over the summer, the school building will not be ready by the planned Aug. 12 opening. However, the Boys & Girls Club has agreed to allow ACPS to utilize its facility as construction continues.

“We are deeply grateful to the Boys & Girls Club for opening their doors to our students,” said Acting Superintendent Chandra Hayes. “This is exactly what community partnership looks like: neighbors stepping up so our students can begin the year strong. Because of their generosity, our students can move forward with confidence, knowing that the quality of instruction and our students’ schedules will not be compromised.”

Under this plan, instructional classes will be held at the Boys & Girls Club’s facility on the Lambs Lane Campus. Lunch will be held at Albemarle High School, and pickup will be held using established traffic patterns at Albemarle. Students and families will maintain the same drop-off and pickup schedule, and the location allows for an easy transition to the new building once it is completed.

The division anticipates maintaining this schedule for approximately the first three weeks of school. The duration remains flexible and depends on the contractor’s progress toward making the new building ready for occupancy.

“This is not the beginning any of us envisioned, but it does provide us with our very first opportunity to model the transferable skills we value at ACEL, like adaptability, collaboration and a willingness to embrace challenges with optimism,” said Stephanie Carter, principal.

ACPS will continue to use all available legal and contractual means to move the school facility to completion as quickly as possible. However, ACPS is activating this contingency plan now so families and staff have time to prepare for the start of the year.