The saying goes that history repeats itself and with this project, that stands relatively true. Over a century ago, this high school operated under its original name of Staunton High School until it was later changed to R.E. Lee High School in 1914. Now, with this major renovation and addition project, the Staunton School Board has elected to reestablish the former name of the high school after some 105 years therefore bringing the past back to the present.

Headlining the scope of work is the complete demolition of the existing west classroom wings and construction of a new auxiliary gym as well as a 4-story, 100,000 square foot, combined administration and classroom wing. The new administration and classroom wing will be added to the east side of the building while the auxiliary gym will be placed on the south side. Replacing the demoed west side’s former wing is a new bus loop and loading dock. In total, Staunton High School is undergoing 80,000 square feet worth of renovations on top of the massive addition.

Work did not finish there though, as we reconfigured the vehicular entrances from Coalter and Taylor Streets, graded the site, created new parking and driving aisles, poured concrete sidewalks, established an emergency vehicle access loop, and provided an outdoor classroom space. Utility work was included in the scope as we made minor adjustments, but more so installations of new systems across the site.

Ultimately, this phased project consists of six segments with some overlapping in order to maintain the tight schedule. The goal was set from the beginning that Staunton wanted this school to remain functional and be entirely completed for faculty, staff, and students upon arrival of the 2020 school year.

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