Students interested in everything from fly-fishing to aerospace can find a club that fits their liking at Mercer Middle School.

The area surrounding the school was barren when Mercer opened in 2004. The school is now surrounded by homes, although even students who live across the street can’t walk home because of the continued construction.

That’s all expected to change soon, principal Ric Gauriloff said. He said the school has become an integral part of the community during its short tenure in the neighborhood.

In turn, parents and the community have offered their help.

“We have a very open-door policy with parents and invite them to everything we do,” he said. “We never turn away helping hands around here.”

Mercer has three full computer labs and three portable computer labs. The school also has 12 Smart Boards, which are interactive white boards that replace the traditional chalkboard.

“I’ve been at three different school systems,” Gauriloff said. “It always amazes me here in Loudoun how well-equipped we are with everything.”

According to the school’s improvement plan, about 84 percent of Mercer students passed their required SOL tests, which is short of the district’s goal of 90 percent.

Like other schools in the district, Mercer is trying to close the gap of achievement among minorities and lower-income students. About 58 percent of black students, 65 percent of Hispanics and 89 percent of white students passed the reading portion of the test in 2005-06.

What started as a grand opening celebration for the school in 2004 has morphed into an annual school celebration. Mercer had 540 students when it opened and invited parents and students to the school for a celebration – an event that is now held each year to bring Mercer and the community together.

Gauriloff said the school is working to identify where students could improve on state assessment tests. In the education field, he said, the work is never done.

“You can never rest,” he said. “You’ve just got to keep going.”