Two new West Virginia schools on opposite ends of the state are scheduled to open Monday morning.
Construction work has been completed at Cameron High School in Marshall County and Marsh Fork Elementary in Raleigh County. Students had orientation sessions a few days ago.
Cameron High is a $31.8 million project that more than doubles the old school from its 56,000 square feet to 140,000 square feet. The building has about 1.5 miles of hallways.
The project has incurred several delays during the last two years.
In Raleigh County the new Marsh Fork Elementary is the turning of a page. Some have been long concerned with the old school building’s location next to a coal silo and slurry impoundment. The new building is along Dry Creek a few miles from the old building.
The former Massey Energy provided $1.5 million for the new school, while the Annenberg Foundation donated $2.5 million. The Raleigh County Board of Education allocated $1.5 million and the state School Building Authority $500,000.
The old school building gained national attention when it became the media headquarters for the Upper Big Branch mine disaster in April 2010. Reporters from across the world gathered to file reports about the disaster at the nearby underground coal mine that claimed the lives of 29 miners.