On Feb. 1, Wharton-Smith joined representatives and community partners of Brevard Public Schools (BPS) to break ground on a new middle school, a first step toward building a school that a group of parents launched a petition for 15 years ago. The event began with musical performances by Viera High School’s band, cheerleaders, and the Viera Elementary School choir. See pictures and video highlights.
Following the performances, multiple BPS employees, project leaders, and community members spoke, including Sue Hann, BPS Assistant Superintendent Facilities Services, Florida Senator Debbie Mayfield; Todd Pokrywa, President of the Viera Company; BPS School Board Chair Matt Susin; and Dr. Stephanie Soliven, Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Leading and Learning.
“It is my greatest honor to be part of a team building a middle school during the resurgence of the space industry in Brevard County,” Dr. Soliven said. This school will have a “high-tech corridor with a full production lab working alongside robotics and virtual reality equipment.”
The $50 million school project is a 140,000-square-foot middle school campus with an administration building, a classroom building, and a gymnasium slated to open in August 2024. The campus will also include tennis and basketball courts, a track, a soccer field, and the signature Viera golf cart loop.
“I’d like to recognize our construction team of Wharton-Smith,” Sue Hahn said. “There’s a whole army of Wharton-Smith folks here. You saw this morning the demonstration of professionalism and the care they put into making sure that we had a most awesome groundbreaking experience, so imagine the great work they can do bringing you this middle school. Wharton-Smith and some of our designers are local folks. These people live in our community, have kids in our schools, and are part of Brevard Public Schools, so we are excited to have Wharton-Smith as part of our team.”
The yet-to-be-named school is slated for an August 2024 opening.
