As new high school takes shape, a new day nears for Highland Springs

A new day is coming soon for Highland Springs.

The new Highland Springs High School will open this fall, ushering in a new era in the small community, whose existing high school is one of the oldest buildings in the county's school system.

The new version is taking shape adjacent to the existing site, fronting on Airport Drive.

During a tour of the site for school officials and media members May 28, Principal Kenneth White marveled at the structure but said his true excitement was based upon the learning opportunities the school will provide, with open spaces that will make collaborative teaching efforts more common.

The floor plan of the new building is based largely upon that of Glen Allen High School and features plenty of natural sunlight, as well as open library and cafeteria areas inside and courtyard spaces outside. The project also includes the construction of a new track and football field, where workers Friday began laying the turf in the afternoon heat, as dump trucks moving about the site sent clouds of dust into the sky.

The new building resulted from discussions that took place after county voters approved a 2016 bond referendum that included (among other items) $55 million for a renovation of Tucker High School.

When conversation among elected officials eventually turned to applying those funds toward a compete rebuild of Tucker instead, Varina District Supervisor Tyrone Nelson advocated for a similar effort at Highland Springs, whose existing building opened in 1952 and underwent a small-scale renovation years ago.

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Ultimately, county officials applied $42 million in funding from the 2016 referendum that had been slated for construction of a new advanced career education center in the Varina District toward the rebuild of Highland Springs as part of a revised spending plan to fund the project, which in 2018 was announced as an $80-million effort but now is likely to exceed $100 million.

Nelson believes the impact of the new school will extend beyond the classroom and into the community as a whole, inspiring residents and attracting additional redevelopment opportunities and businesses that want to be part of the community’s growth.