KATE COLLINS MIDDLE SCHOOL
History of KCMS
Kate Collins Middle School is located in Waynesboro, Virginia, at the foot of the Blue
Ridge Mountains in the Shenandoah Valley.
In November of 1962, the City of Waynesboro passed a $950,000 bond issue.
$750,000 was designated for the construction of a junior high school. Ground was broken in
March 1963 for the 28-room structure. The school was named after a long-time educator in
Waynesboro, Miss Kate Merriman Collins. Miss Kate, as she was affectionately known, had
been a teacher and principal of Wayne Hills Elementary School. The new school would stand as
a monument to her service in education.
On January 27, 1964, all 7th and 8th grade students in Waynesboro moved into Kate
Collins Junior High School with a total enrollment of 653 students. The following year, a 20room addition was constructed. The 9th grade was moved in the building completing the
objective of a 6-3-3 grade structure for Waynesboro. In the 1969-1970 school year, the
enrollment peaked with 100 students.
There was a decline in enrollment, and in 1981, Rosenwald Elementary School,
housing grades 4, 5, and 6 was closed, moving the students and faculty to the Kate Collins
building. At this time, the 9th grade was moved to Waynesboro High School. The following
year, Wayne Hills Elementary School was closed, moving grade K-3 to Kate Collins. The 198283 school year opened with Kate Collins School having a complete elementary School and
grades 7 and 8. The total population was approximately 850 students.
In the summer of 1994, elementary students in grades K-5 were moved to other
schools in Waynesboro, anticipating the opening of a new elementary school, William Perry
Elementary School, named after a long time assistant principal at Kate Collins. All 6th graders
in Waynesboro were moved to Kate Collins and creating a true middle school. The school’s
enrollment was nearly 750 students. It was renamed Kate Collins Middle School.
From the 2000-2001 school year through 2004-2005, enrollment varied between 600
and 700 students in grades 6 through 8. The team model for Middle Schools remained.
Beginning in the 2003 school year, the daily schedule was altered from a 7 period day to a block
schedule, with semesterized courses in Science and Social Studies/History.
In December of 2005 the building Kate Collins and the Waynesboro City Schools
began the process of a multi-million dollar remodel the KCMS building. The students and staff
used a portion of the KCMS building and the Wayne Hills School was reopened with classroom
trailers added. From January 2005 through to June of 2007, students were bussed between the
Wayne Hills School and the KCMS building.
The 2007-2008 school year proved to be a year of many changes; a new Principal, a
new building and many new faces. Students would be able to experience the use of a bigger
gymnasium with high-end facilities, a new auditorium, a larger cafeteria, and more technology in
each classroom, along with other newer and updated facilities and educational spaces. During
the 2009-2010 school year a dearly loved and highly respected math teacher, Glenn Anderson,
passed away. Mr. Anderson had been a soccer coach for many years as well as an educator. In
the spring of 2011, the KCMS Soccer fields were completed and named for Mr. Anderson.
Kate Collins celebrated its 50th year in 2013. A celebration of this event was held in
April of 2014, to end the 50th school year. There have been many changes since the original
construction of the Kate Collins building in 1963, but through all the changes, growth and
student movement, Kate Collins remains a respected and vital part of the Waynesboro
Educational Community.
Principals for Kate Collins
1963-1971 Mr. Shirley Callison, Principal of Kate Collins Junior High
1971-1972 Mr. Wayne Mahanes, Acting Principal of Kate Collins Junior High
1973-1987 Mr. James W. Nichols, Principal of Kate Collins Junior High
1981-1982 Mr. James Lunger, Principal for Elementary students at Kate Collins Junior High
1982-1986 Mr. Ivan Augustine, Principal for Elementary students at Kate Collins Junior High
1986-1996 Ms. Karen Weaver, Principal for Elementary students at Kate Collins Junior High
1987-1993 Mr. William Bateman, Principal of Kate Collins Junior High
1993-1998 Mr. Lyman E. “Rusty” Lloyd, Principal of Kate Collins Middle School
1998-2001 Mr. Ron Abernathy, Principal of Kate Collins Middle School
2001-2008 Mrs. Julie Zook, Principal of Kate Collins Middle School
2008-2010 Mrs. Carol Butler, Principal of Kate Collins Middle School
2010 Mrs. India Harris, Principal of Kate Collins Middle School
2011-present Ms. Janet Buchheit, Principal of Kate Collins Middle School
Assistant Principals for Kate Collins
1964-1987 Mr. William Perry, Assistant Principal of Kate Collins Junior High
1965-1966 Mr. Jay Martin, Assistant Principal of Kate Collins Junior High
1968-1971 Mr. Wayne Mahanes, Assistant Principal of Kate Collins Junior High
1973-1980 Mr. William Bateman, Assistant Principal of Kate Collins Junior High
1980-1981 Mr. Ron Hennis, Assistant Principal of Kate Collins Junior High
1987-1997 Mr. Mitch Peeling, Assistant Principal of Kate Collins Middle School
1997-1999 Mr. Ed Williams, Assistant Principal of Kate Collins Middle School
1999-2001 Mrs. Julie Zook, Assistant Principal of Kate Collins Middle School
2001-2002 Mr. Terry LaFon, Assistant Principal Intern of Kate Collins Middle School
2001-2002 Mrs. Forrest Burghdorf, Assistant Principal Intern of Kate Collins Middle School
2002-2007 Mrs. Forrest Burghdorf, Assistant Principal of Kate Collins Middle School
2006-2007 Dr. Bradley Davis, Assistant Principal of Kate Collins Middle School at Wayne Hills
2007 Mr. Doug Charley, acting Assistant Principal of Kate Collins Middle School at Wayne
Hills
2007-2008 Mr. Dan Bledsoe, Assistant Principal of Kate Collins Middle School
2007-2010 Mrs. Leola Burks, Assistant Principal of Kate Collins Middle School
2008-present Mr. Allen Jervey, Assistant Principal of Kate Collins Middle School
2010-2011 Mr. Ian Marshall, Assistant Principal of Kate Collins Middle School
2011-present Ms. Tammy Hipes, Assistant Principal of Kate Collins Middle School