Sallie Jones Atkinson, a prominent educator and community leader in Dinwiddie County, and her husband, John Pryor Atkinson, gave the land on which Sunnyside High School was built in 1911. Through her vision, tireless industry, and determination, the school became the first eight-month rural school accredited in Virginia. Mrs. Atkinson also served on the state committee that worked to secure Governor Montague's approval for women's suffrage.