HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — ‘Springer Nation’ students and faculty will be walking in the front doors of the brand new Highland Springs High School in the fall.
There are only a few months of construction left before the first day of school and a tour of the new building was held on Friday with local leaders to see updates on the progress.
The previous Highland Springs High School was built in 1950 and is one of the oldest school buildings in the county.
Henrico Schools Superintendent Dr. Amy Cashwell said the roughly $80 million building shows Henrico County cares and pours resources into education.
“I hope that they find a place that is welcoming, engaging and really enables them to reach their full potential,” Cashwell said. “The building is phenomenal but I think the experience that is going to happen inside the building is what I am most looking forward to and most proud of and excited about.”
The over 265,000 square-foot building still has a summer’s-worth of construction to do, but HSHS Principal Kenneth White is confident it will be ready to educate students by the fall.
“Our kids are most excited about the opportunity for the new building, so the space itself,” White said. “Our current building doesn’t really give them the space to socialize and coming off a pandemic and getting that opportunity with the new building and open space they have to be able to do that, I think they are really excited about that.”
He said the floor plan is similar to Glen Allen High School and the goal of the new building will be one that is transformational and makes an impact on the community around it.
“The building itself is just a building,” White said. “But the things that take place inside of it are really what is going to move our building and our community forward.”
Varina Supervisor Tyrone Nelson said the Highland Springs High School will be a gateway to better things for the community.
“I’m excited about the experience for the young people, but I am a little giddy as an adult as well,” Nelson said.
