On September 22, about 50 community members gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the opening of the South County Teen and Senior Centers at the Original Mount Vernon High School. Watch the "16 Around Fairfax" segment on the event below:

Speakers at the event included Dan Storck, Supervisor, Mount Vernon District, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors; Jeffrey C. McKay, Chairman, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors; Karen Corbett Sanders, Member, Mount Vernon District, Fairfax County Public School Board; Lloyd Tucker, Director, Fairfax County Department of Neighborhood and Community Services; and Chris Herrington, Director, Fairfax Department of Public Works and Environmental Services. Two center participants also shared their experiences: Teen Center member Leona Rush and Senior Center member Thomas Buckingham.

Fairfax County acquired the OMVHS in fall 2016 following vacation of the long-term lease and began an effort to plan for adaptive reuse of the building. A number of interim and permanent occupancies have been implemented, including the renovation and opening of the gym, a satellite Fire Marshal’s Office for the South County area, a Fairfax County Public Schools registration site, and relocation of the teen/senior center from the South County Center. Phase II of redevelopment planning continues.