CLARAVILLE—With the clock ticking toward opening day (seven weeks and counting), construction crews were still at work inside Northumberland’s new school last week. Carpet was going down in the auditorium, the gymnasium floors were being waxed and trim and cabinetry was still being installed.
Meanwhile, it will take a considerable amount of elbow grease to clean up the thick layers of construction dust and dirt blanketing almost everything in the 160,000-square-foot facility, and there is a visibly long punch list of items that need attention before move-in day March 26.
The parking lots are paved, however, a major hurdle given the recent cold weather, according to superintendent Clint Stables.
The work remaining hasn’t quelled anyone’s excitement about the new school, said Stables. Teachers from the middle school got their first look at their new classrooms last week and cafeteria workers from both schools got to check out the new assortment of equipment waiting for them in the joint kitchen, he said.
High school teachers are anxious to size up their future classrooms, and even the prom committee took a look at the new building to determine where to hold the dance and the after-party in April.
With a lot of new furniture and equipment going into the new school, it is up to individual teachers and administrators to decide what they are bringing with them, Stables said. He urges everyone to travel lightly and leave the junk behind.
The community will be called upon to help with the move March 26 and 27, he said. Anyone with a truck or van and/or a strong back should contact the school board office at 529-6134. The school’s insurance will cover everyone participating in the move and a training session will be held before work begins.
A ceremony commemorating the opening of the new school and the closing of the old middle and high schools will be held at 2 p.m. March 14. Tours of all three buildings will be offered following the ceremony, which will feature former Governor Linwood Holton, U.S. Congressman Rob Wittman and others as guest speakers.
Northumberland County approved the new $40 million facility in June 2006 and crews broke ground in Claraville in September of that year. The opening had originally been scheduled for January 2009, but was pushed back to ensure that workers were completely finished before students moved in.
Take a tour of the new school that's narrated by Clint Stables. Click on the slideshow above.
Click above to start slide show.
Meanwhile, it will take a considerable amount of elbow grease to clean up the thick layers of construction dust and dirt blanketing almost everything in the 160,000-square-foot facility, and there is a visibly long punch list of items that need attention before move-in day March 26. 
