Southern Gap High School officially opened a new chapter in Buchanan County’s educational history Saturday, Aug. 29, as students, school leaders, state and local elected officials and community members gathered for a ceremonial ribbon cutting at the county’s new consolidated high school.
The ceremony began inside the school’s auditorium, where speakers reflected on the years of planning, difficult decisions and collaboration required to bring the approximately 200,000-square-foot school to life.
After the program, attendees gathered outside the school for the ceremonial ribbon-cutting.
Southern Gap High School brings together students from the former Council, Grundy, Hurley and Twin Valley high schools. The three-story school serves students in grades eight through 12 and includes academic, athletic, performing arts and career and technical education facilities.
Buchanan County School Board Chairman and South Grundy District board member David Thornbury began by welcoming attendees and thanking the contractors, engineers, government agencies and elected officials who helped make the project possible.
“Southern Gap High School certainly is something that we all can be proud of,” Thornbury said.
He said the School Board hopes students who pass through the school will have an enhanced high school experience and expanded educational opportunities.
“As they transition out into society, both in their lives and in their careers, they will soar on eagle’s wings and only be limited by their own imagination,” Thornbury said.
The ceremony included an opening prayer by Eugene Whited, pastor of Blackey Baptist Church in Hurley. The Southern Gap High School band performed the national anthem, and those attending recited the Pledge of Allegiance.
Buchanan County Public Schools Superintendent Sherry Fletcher recognized the government officials, School Board members, county officials, project representatives and community leaders in attendance.
Among the speakers were U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith; Del. Will Morefield; Bob Peterson, project manager for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Huntington District; Curtis Elswick, vice president of operations for Skanska; and Mike Howdyshell of Branch Builds.
Peterson said the new school represents more than a completed construction project. He discussed the county’s long history of flooding, including the devastating 1977 flood and more recent flooding in 2021, 2022 and 2025.
The Disaster Relief Act of 2019 provided funding for flood-mitigation work involving structures in Buchanan County affected by the 1977 flood. Peterson said the Corps entered into a contract to relocate Hurley High School and floodproof the county’s career and technical education center.
Through those agreements, the Corps reimbursed the School Board for a substantial portion of the cost of the new consolidated high school.
“What stands before us is more than a building,” Peterson said. “It is a result of a successful collaboration to enhance community flood safety and resilience.”
Peterson said the project demonstrated what can be accomplished when government agencies and local stakeholders work together toward a common goal.
“It is a testament to the strength of this community and a promise that by working together we can not only rebuild, but build back stronger and more resilient than before,” Peterson said.
Griffith praised the local officials, builders, engineers and designers responsible for the school. He compared himself to a proud uncle arriving after the birth of a child and celebrating the accomplishment of the entire family.
“What a great facility this is,” Griffith said. “I think this facility is just top shelf. Wow, you all have a lot to be proud of.”
Griffith acknowledged that bringing four schools together was not easy, but said Southern Gap has an opportunity to create new traditions in academics, athletics, theater, forensics and other programs.
“The future for this high school is unlimited,” Griffith said.
Morefield described the ribbon cutting as a historic moment of change for Buchanan County. He acknowledged that change can be difficult but said the county has always shown an ability to adapt during challenging times.
“This beautiful school is built on the history of many great traditions in education,” Morefield said. “As we stand here and look at this modern, high-tech campus, we all know this is built on the foundations of the schools in this community.”
Morefield said the traditions of the former schools are now coming together to create a new future on the mountain.
“The future looks bright on Southern Gap,” he said.
Elswick said he had served as the school division’s project manager for eight years and described completing the school as the fulfillment of a longtime dream.
He recognized the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Virginia Department of Education, Buchanan County Board of Supervisors, current and former School Board members, school employees and the companies involved in designing and constructing the facility.
Elswick said approximately 200 people worked at the construction site during some stages of the project, often working six or seven days a week. He said the school was completed three days ahead of schedule.
“Today we turned that dream into a reality,” Elswick said.
Howdyshell said the project was especially meaningful to Branch because the company has maintained a presence in Grundy and Buchanan County for generations.
He praised project superintendent Joe Keen and the construction team for completing the approximately 200,000-square-foot building in 18 months.
“This job is, in many ways, a part of the community, and it’s not just another project,” Howdyshell said. “It is another chapter in a very long relationship with this community.”
Fletcher closed the auditorium program by reflecting on the years of work and difficult conversations that led to the school’s completion.
“This ribbon represents far more than opening a building, because there were years of planning and difficult conversations, but it is a shared belief that our children deserve every opportunity to succeed,” Fletcher said.
Fletcher acknowledged the strong histories, traditions and school pride associated with Council, Grundy, Hurley and Twin Valley. She said the opening of Southern Gap does not mean those legacies will be forgotten.
“Today we’re not saying goodbye to those legacies and those memories,” Fletcher said. “We’re bringing them with us. We’re bringing them together. We’re taking the very best of each school, and we’re going to build something even stronger.”
Fletcher thanked the School Board, Board of Supervisors, legislators, architects, engineers, contractors, school employees, parents and community members who supported the project.
She then addressed Southern Gap’s first group of students, telling them they will establish the school’s traditions and define what it means to be an Eagle.
“You are the first generation to call Southern Gap home, and one day people will ask, ‘What was it like to be the first students?’” Fletcher said. “And you’ll tell the stories.”
The school includes a three-court gymnasium, wrestling room, weight-training area and locker rooms. Its performing arts facilities include an auditorium, band room and performance-preparation spaces.
Review intended term; if visual arts: ‘Media and visual arts facilities’ on the second floor include studio space, computer laboratories and a pottery room. The three floors of the academic wing include career and technical education programs on the first floor, science and health classrooms on the second floor and core academic classrooms on the third floor.
Fletcher said the building itself will not be the school division’s greatest accomplishment. That distinction, she said, will belong to the students who leave Southern Gap prepared to lead, serve and make Buchanan County proud.
“Today we honor the past, we will celebrate the present, and together we will open the door to an extraordinary future,” Fletcher said.
