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BUCHANAN COUNTY, Va. (WJHL) — In just over a month, the high schools of Buchanan County will mark their final chapter as Grundy, Council, Hurley, and Twin Valley unite to form Southern Gap High School.
The new institution is a sprawling three-story complex featuring several wings, each designed for more than just ordinary classrooms. Notably, the east wing is dedicated to career and technical education (CTE).
“Each room here houses three workshops,” explained Tim Burge, senior construction manager with Skanska Integrated Solutions, as he gave News Channel 11 a tour. “For example, this is our welding shop. The current setup at the existing school has the classroom within the shop space, but here, they will have distinct areas for both instruction and hands-on practice.”
Pamela Tester from Buchanan County Schools emphasized to News Channel 11 that the new facility offers comprehensive resources all under one roof.
“Previously, transportation issues sometimes forced students to choose between academic and vocational paths,” Tester noted. “Now, they can pursue academic courses alongside career-focused training, gaining vital skills for high-demand jobs right here within the same facility.”
From the CTE wing, students can go up to the third floor to access health care-related classrooms, such as a pharmacy tech program, a dental lab and a nursing program.
“They have a bathroom where they teach them how to move people, you know, from the wheelchair to the commode or to into a shower. All that training, everything’s here to do that,” Burge said.
The school property spans 200,322 square feet on what used to be a coal mining site. There will be a wall at the front of the school with black coal stones, and outside of the school will have several nods to the coal tradition as well.
“Seeing the markings inside the building and just the location of the school itself on the former coal mine will help the students remember where they came from and what their roots are, because we all grew up being supported by the mining industry,” Tester said.
Southern Gap High School is on pace to open by the beginning of the 2026-27 school year in August.