GRANITE FALLS, NC (October 4, 2022) — On Tuesday, October 4th Caldwell County Schools held a Ribbon Cutting and Dedication Ceremony to commemorate the opening of the newly remodeled and new construction of Granite Falls Middle School. Dr. Don Phipps, Superintendent of Caldwell County Schools welcomed many current and former students, parents, school board members, numerous county and local officials and guests to commemorate the hard work and dedication in renovating and constructing Granite Falls Middle School as a 21st-century school for the Granite Falls community.
Countless hours went into the planning, designing and the development of this monumental project. It might have been easier to build a new school at a new location, but this school is “the pinnacle of Granite Falls” as quoted by Dr. Carol Burns, Mayor of Granite Falls.
Dr. Burns shared some interesting history about the school. The school began in 1885 when Dr. SGH Jones gave one acre of land to the town of Granite Falls for the construction of a 2 room, 2 story school building. In 1902, Dr. Jones gave more land totaling 5 acres. Additional rooms were built at the cost of $60,000.00. The cost of the current renovations and new buildings were roughly 25 million dollars at $203.00 per square foot. If the project had been delayed, the cost per square foot would exceed $300.00. The building is designed for expansion and growth as our community to continues to grow.
The school became part of the Caldwell County School System in 1934. In total, the school has been the heart of Granite Falls for 136 years. It was very important that this school remain in the current location. Vern L. McKissik III with McKissik Associates was charged with this task. His team designed and developed this school without interrupting the school year. Andy Puhl, Assistant Superintendent of Auxiliary Services, Caldwell County Schools commended the administration, students, and staff for “thriving under less-than-ideal circumstances” as they carried out their school day amid the construction. This school along with the other schools in Caldwell County have the commitment of the Caldwell County Commissioners “that every child in our county receive a state-of-the-art education in the finest facilities we can provide,” as stated by Randy Church, Chairman, Caldwell County Commissioners.
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