Central High School
Norton, Virginia
Overview
Central High School is a 129,273-square-foot educational facility developed for Wise County Public Schools through a Design-Build PPEA initiative that consolidated J.J. Kelly and Pound High Schools into a single modern campus. Designed to accommodate approximately 680 students, the school provides comprehensive academic, science, technology, arts, athletic, and performing arts environments, with a central “Main Street” organizing public-use spaces separately from the academic wings to support both school and community activities. Thompson Consulting Engineers provided mechanical, electrical, and plumbing design, Construction Administration, and Commissioning services for the project, incorporating energy-conscious building systems and daylighting strategies designed for efficiency and longevity. These integrated systems support occupant comfort, operational reliability, and long-term energy performance while serving the educational and community needs of Wise County.
Challenges
- Designing building systems to support a large high school created through consolidation of multiple existing schools.
- Coordinating infrastructure as part of a multi-school PPEA development program.
- Delivering reliable, energy-efficient systems capable of supporting long-term school operations in a rural setting.
Goals
- Provide a modern learning environment that supported a broad range of academic, athletic, and extracurricular programs.
- Enhance comfort, safety, and energy performance through high-efficiency building systems.
- Support Wise County Public Schools’ long-term facilities modernization efforts through the PPEA initiative.
Project Team
- Owner: Wise County Public Schools
- Architect: RRMM
- Contractor: S.B. Ballard Construction
Results
- Successfully delivered a new consolidated high school facility serving Wise County Public Schools.
- Improved student and staff comfort through integrated, high-performance building systems.
- Provided efficient, reliable infrastructure designed to support long-term educational operations.
