T. C. Miller Elementary School for Innovation

Population: 230 students
Motto: "Soar with the eagles!"
Mascot: American Bald Eagle
School Colors: Black and Gold

Directions

From the Lynchburg Expressway, take 501 North business. Turn left at second light. Pass Westover Dairy on the right, take the next right onto Oakley Avenue. Turn right onto Mansfield Avenue. Thomas C. Miller Elementary School for Innovation is on the right.

School Year

Two semesters each consisting of three 6-week grading periods

Partners in Education

• Dance Theatre of Lynchburg
• High Peak Sportswear
• Kiwanis Club
• Lynchburg Fire & EMS Department, Miller Park Station, Shift B
• Lynchburg Humane Society
• Westover Dairy

Accreditation

T. C. Miller Elementary School for Innovation is fully accredited by the Virginia Department of Education.

Philosophy

• A philosophy that all children are gifted and can learn
• Teaching strategies are geared toward meeting the individual learning styles of students
• Interdisciplinary units focus on VA Standards of Learning
• Emphasis on higher order thinking and diverse learning styles
• Full inclusion for Special Education students, as appropriate
• Emphasis on math, science, the arts, and technology
• Uninterrupted blocks of instruction for core subjects
• Use of art, music, and movement education to support core academics through creative and hands-on activities
• Small group instruction, team teaching, and collegial planning
• Teacher Assistance Team is used to develop individual plans for students in need
• Enrichment activities open to all students
• Site-based decisions by Management Team as they relate to the governance of the school; this body serves as liaison between the administration and school community

Staffing

T. C. Miller has a pre-Kindergarten class and  two classes per level for grades Kindergarten through 5. We have full-time resource teachers for  Media, Science, and Title I and part time resource teachers for Art, Movement Education,and  Music . We also have a full-time Instructional Technology Specialist . The Faculty includes  full-time special education teachers, a half-time speech teacher, half-time guidance counselor, and part-time violin teacher. We also have five full-time teaching assistants, and a cafeteria and custodial staff.

School History

Thomas C. Miller is named for Thomas Cecil Miller, a former Lynchburg City Schools Latin teacher and principal. The traditional three-story building constructed in 1932 was renovated and reopened in 1993 as Thomas C. Miller Elementary School for Innovation, the division's first magnet school. It has 13 classrooms, an office, media center, auditorium complete with stage and professional dance floor, science lab, computer lab, multi-purpose room that also serves as an art gallery and computer lab, music room, piano lab, and cafeteria. The curriculum emphasizing reading, math, science, technology, and the arts is delivered in an integrated fashion through thematic units of instruction. These units were designed by the staff following state and national standards. Thomas C. Miller draws a percentage of its students from the surrounding neighborhood, and the rest are selected from voluntary lottery application.

Click here for more information about the application process.