Meadow Bridge officially christens new high school wing

Sep. 29—meadow bridge

While throwing a shout-out to five Meadow Bridge High students on Tuesday, the executive director of the School Building Authority of West Virginia also praised the efforts of the Meadow Bridge community.

During his remarks at a Sept. 26 ribbon-cutting for the high school wing of the Meadow Bridge Regional PK-12 School, Andy Neptune referenced five members of the MBHS Student Council and told them they represent the future.

Neptune also said community members in the past were among the primary reasons the school construction work eventually came to fruition.

First things first, though.

"I tell a lot of folks where we travel, first and foremost we always want to thank the governor," said Neptune. "The governor sets aside those funds for us and oversees technically the SBA, so we always appreciate the effort and the things that he takes care of for us.

"We also like to emphasize (appreciation) to the delegates, to the Senate, to the House, those members that set funding aside for these. And what I lead into that is the fact that these are the examples. We get to enjoy tonight the ribbon cutting on this new addition here as it continues.

"We're very happy to be a part of that, and enjoy traveling across the state to see the different projects that are involved. This is just another good example of how that money they set aside goes to good use."

The Meadow Bridge project is being funded by a $20,012,448 grant awarded by the School Building Authority in 2019, as well as a $9.5 million contribution from Fayette County Schools.

"We knew that this was going to be an exciting opportunity," continued Neptune, in his eighth month at the helm of the SBA. "We knew the community support ... was very strong and made their point throughout the process. So, we're hopeful. It appears the county and the shareholders will be pleased with the outcome as it continues to expand, as well."

Carolyn Arritt, a Meadow Bridge resident and former school teacher and school board member who was among the group of citizens that fought over the years to preserve the school, called it "a very good day" because "we worked hard" to keep a high school presence in town despite the march toward school consolidation.

"It was something the whole community worked for" and "there were a few of us who hung in there the whole time. We had people that stepped up to the plate when it was needed at different times."

"God provided an opportunity" for different individuals to make important contributions to the effort, she added.

"This gives our children the chance to see things and have an education with the technology and so forth we weren't able to have before," Arritt said. "So I'm hoping the community and the children celebrate this for a long time and respect what's been done, and enjoy it."

There was never an idea to abandon the battle, Arritt said. "After a while, we decided that God was in this. God loves children, and he wouldn't take it to a point and then just drop them. Some people gave up, but especially Shirley and I just kept on trucking, and this would have been a great day for Shirley."

Shirley is Shirley McGraw, longtime Meadow Bridge supporter and Arritt friend who passed away in November 2022.

Fayette County Schools Superintendent Gary Hough, who earlier had been among those to recognize the efforts of local residents such as Arritt and Randall Patterson in support of the high school, said he would be remiss if he didn't mention McGraw.

While admitting he and McGraw butted heads at times, Hough said, "To be very honest with you, I don't want to forget Shirley McGraw. This would have been a very, very proud moment for Miss Shirley McGraw here in Meadow Bridge."

In his earlier remarks, Hough said the county system overall — with major support from the SBA and other stakeholders — has shown great progress from being in a "terrible state" nearly a decade ago.

Shrinking population in West Virginia and a decrease in the number of schools is of concern to some, Neptune admitted. "I think it's something that does raise eyebrows. I grew up in an era that that really wasn't thought so much of.

"But you're right. With the shrinkage of the population that's involved, it causes a greater gap, and you get into these regional schools."

"I'm very excited, we're all very excited to be here tonight down in Fayette," he continued. "But it does surprise me at the location of how far these schools are spread out. In a way, it shouldn't surprise me, but it does.

"I think that you're going to see that as we have to deal with facilities and older facilities, and what are we going to bring to the table to enhance education the way that we need to in the state. It may be in that area. It's going to be very interesting to watch. As a veteran educator for over 34 years, it is eye-opening to see how the trend is kind of shifting a little bit due to population."

"It's wonderful," Meadow Bridge High principal Stacy White said of the new high school wing. "The students are so appreciative, the faculty is appreciative.

"We're just very blessed to be able to move into the new wing. It's so nice, the technology is state-of-the-art. It's a great opportunity for our students to learn.

"It's a day that for many years we didn't know would actually come, but we are grateful that it did." She referenced past generations of people who fought to keep the school open.

Of the new Meadow Bridge facility, Fayette BOE vice-president Steve Slockett said, "We've made it. We had some divine intervention, but we've seen the glory of what teamwork can do," adding, "In the walls of this new regional high school, our students are going to receive a better education than they ever had."

Work continues on the elementary portion of the multi-phase construction project.

----The SBA is in the midst of a new funding cycle during which it will assess various construction proposals from school systems statewide.

"We're looking at needs now," Neptune said. "We've had about 28 counties that have applied for needs. Some of those are (for) new schools, some of those are additions, some of those are just renovations that need to go on.

"We have our team out in the field evaluating that now in all of the counties. We'll break it down and distribute those funds in December."

"We're not really set on exactly a number (of funding dollars that will be available to be distributed)," he continued. "The SBA did skip a cycle last year, so we're looking to have a little more. We hope to be able to fund a little more projects than we have in the previous years."

Fayette County Schools will be among the systems seeking financial assistance during the new cycle, as the local system proposes to build a new elementary school at the Midland Trail School Complex that will combine the student bodies of Divide and Ansted elementary schools.

Email: skeenan@

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Email: skeenan@register-herald.com; follow on Facebook