Principal Kim Forcino thinks there’s some truth to a phrase she’s heard several times while in Lovettsville.

“We’ve been called the school that begins with ‘love’ for many years, and I think we live up to that,” she said.

The school has more than 500 students and is located in this rural town in northern Loudoun County.

Lovettsville Elementary is close to the local community center, which provides extracurricular opportunities through the county’s Parks and Recreation Department. School opportunities for students include a chess club and after-school chorus for fourth- and fifth-grade students.

The school performed below the district average in 2005 on reading proficiency tests and close to the average in math and science proficiency.

According to the school’s improvement plan, 82 percent of students passed all of their required SOL tests, which is short of the district’s goal of 90 percent.

Forcino said the school’s PTO is “absolutely awesome.” When the school needed a new running track on the school grounds, for example, the PTO quickly sprang into action.

“We were able to raise the funds for that in less than three months,” Forcino said.

Lovettsville Elementary has a pancake breakfast as part of the city’s Oktoberfest celebration. The school each year also welcomes retired teachers during a luncheon hosted by the fifth-grade students.

Students participate in grandparents day, a fine arts fair, a Valentine’s Day party and Bingo nights.

Forcino said she’s most proud of the school community and efforts to promote literacy.

“It’s just a very caring and giving community and people work together to support the students,” she said. “That’s what makes it so nice to work here.”