By Maggie Glass

Published: Jun. 6, 2024 at 6:15 PM EDT

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - The Charlottesville community is leaving its mark on a new middle school being built.

Thursday, June 6, a structural piece that will go into the school became a lasting memory of those there during its construction.

Before leaving school for the summer, students and community members came to sign a steel beam.

“I think I like having my signature on there and being able to see it,” 7th grader Ben Thompson said.

“A lot of our students have given feedback to things that they want to see with the new Buford, they won’t be able to go to school here, but their legacy is left, their mark has been made,” 7th-grade teacher Mika Kawakami agreed.

What is now Buford Middle School, soon to be Charlottesville Middle School, is undergoing an expansion by adding 6th grade and a new building.

“Since we’re the only middle school in the city, I think it’s extremely important for the 6th, 7th, and 8th graders to be together,” Buford Middle School Principal Rodney Jordan said.

The moving pieces of building a new school have presented some challenges, but Jordan says the school and construction company have made it work.

“Communication is extremely important,” Jordan said. “I don’t know how many times a week we call each other, just because their equipment coming in, there might be steel coming in, we may need them to pause.”

Still, though, the banging and buzzing of construction has become a normal occurrence for anyone at Buford, but 7th grader Daniela Racinos does not mind.

“I really hope from the construction and all the teachers are together and that it finishes to be a good learning space for people,” Racinos said.

Now, students including Ben and Daniela have something to look back on.

“It’s going to be a memory because my sister is going to be coming here soon,” Thompson said.

Construction on the new middle school is set to be completed by 2026.

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Click here for the full video and article: Current students and staff at Buford leave their mark on new middle school

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