NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — The stories within the halls of the former Huntington Middle School site in Newport News will be told for many years.
“A rich history that began for this school in 1920 at the former Joseph Parker School on 18th Street,” Newport News School Board Chair Lisa Surles-Law said Thursday morning.
However, Newport News school and city leaders said it’s time to write a new beginning, one that involves advancing learning in the Southeast Community.
In the 1930s, the school now known as Huntington Middle School moved to Orcutt Ave. In 2018, the Newport News school board voted to close the middle school citing costly repairs. Thursday, they unveiled new designs, which were approved last month, according to Mayor Jones, for the future site.
According to School Board Vice Chairman Dr. Terri Best, the school will be a 600-student education center with a focus on STEAM (science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics).
The new school is part of a master plan called the Southeast Community Resource Area which will include a a state-of-the-art public library, community center, sports features, and a splash pad. Surles-Law said this building will accommodate the needs of many students.
“It means an opportunity that they get to feel on the level playing field and that they have a school that they can be proud of,” Surles-Law said.
“I really appreciate this event and the Huntington school staff,” said Joseph Small, a seventh-grade student at Huntington Middle School.
Construction on the site is expected to begin in the spring with an anticipated opening during the second semester of the 2025-2026 school year.
“This transformation has been a long time coming,” Mayor Phillip Jones said.