Ravenswood Middle School opens to students
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RAVENSWOOD -- Jackson County Schools opened the doors to students at the new Ravenswood Middle School this week.
The project was underway for about 18 months and was financed by $10.1 million from the School Building Authority of West Virginia, Supertintendent of Schools Blaine Hess said.
"We were very fortunate to receive [that] grant," Hess said. The remaining $3 million was provided by the Jackson County Board of Education.
The original middle school was in need of replacement. A wing of the old school was built as temporary additional space in 1968. Being that the building was over 50-years old and that it was only meant to be temporary, a new building was necessary, he said.
The new school is attached to Ravenswood High School. Both schools separately operate, but have connectors linking them together.
As part of the overall construction project, a few renovations to the high school were necessary to make way for the new addition of the middle school, Hess said.
"We recently refurbished the cafeteria and completely replaced the kitchen," Hess said.
Constructon of the cafeteria took from May through July.
Along with the cafeteria updates, last year the high school was equipped with a new heating and air conditioning system, among other updates.
"That building will be set for the next decade in that regard," Hess said.
Hess believes the new school will be beneficial for both the community and the students.
"It is a modern facility in all aspects," Hess said.
The building is equipped with new science labs, wireless technology throughout and increased security features.
Among the goals was to "give the students a modern, safe and comfortable place to learn," Hess said. "Schools are the heartbeat of a community and we certainly want to keep that in mind as we develop our schools and our cities in Jackson County."
While benefitting the entire county, the school "supports the Ravenswood area of our county and with the investment, it will ensure that we have a [school] presence in Ravenswood for decades to come."
The middle school was also equipped with a new gymnasium to help house the number of activities that take place among the local schools.
Hess said there are plans to use the original building for other educational programs.
The school will host an open house on 5:30-7:30 p.m. Sept. 3 when residents can tour the new school.
"We rely [on] and are supported greatly by the taxpayers of Jackson county," Hess said.