NORFOLK, Va. — One signature at a time, Norfolk is leaving its mark on the future of Maury High School.
City leaders, school officials, alumni and community members gathered Friday, Nov. 13, to sign a steel beam that will soon become a permanent part of the new Maury High School in the city's Ghent neighborhood.
The ceremony marks another milestone in the construction of the four-story school, which is expected to welcome its first students in the fall of 2028.
Among those signing the beam was Norfolk City Councilmember Carlos Clanton, a Maury graduate who has watched the project move from planning and groundbreaking to the steel framework now rising beside the historic school.
"Well, you know, I was here for the groundbreaking, but now to actually see that the walls are up, and now that we have this beam here, being able to see all the signatures and knowing that I'm an alum and my signature will be on this for as long as the school will be here," Clanton said.
"For me, honestly, it's a representation of all the Maury alum who've been here, and just to be able to say that we're a part of this for the future."
Norfolk Mayor Kenny Alexander also participated in Friday's beam signing.
The signed beam won't be hidden away inside the building's structure. Instead, it will be installed in a prominent location where generations of students, teachers and visitors will be able to see it.
Robert Hudson, vice president of Heartland Construction, explained that the beam will be placed in the school's main events lobby, between the gymnasium and auditorium.
"Right when you walk through the doors and look up, this beam will be right there," Hudson said.
Hudson said the ceremony represents more than another step in construction. It's an opportunity for the community to become a permanent part of the school.
"It's been a long process. Now this is a big milestone, and so we've been fortunate that to get to this point, construction is on schedule," Hudson said. "We're making good time, and these events are really just a big milestone for any project, and a chance to bring the community in and be a part of it, and this beam will be here for the next 100 years."
Construction on the new Maury High School began in November 2025. The building is designed to accommodate 1,750 students and will feature modern classrooms, outdoor learning spaces, pedestrian pathways and improvements intended to address flooding and sustainability concerns.
Hudson said construction crews have already completed one significant part of the project: the new baseball and softball fields.
"Our biggest milestone is we completed the new baseball and softball fields back about a month and a half ago, and those have been turned over to Norfolk Public Schools," Hudson said.
Students are expected to begin using those fields for practices before the spring sports season.
Meanwhile, crews continue installing structural steel for the main school building.
"Right now, you see a couple floors behind us. Over the next few weeks, we'll start getting the third and fourth floor on, and then you'll start to see the outside really take shape," Hudson said. "Brick, windows, lots of glass is really a beautiful design."
For Norfolk Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Jeff Rose, the new school represents a much-needed investment in the district's students and facilities.
Rose, who is still relatively new to the school division, said his first visit to the current Maury High School left him concerned about the condition of the aging building.
"The first time I walked through Maury, I looked around and worried about not just mine but other people's safety, right?" Rose said. "If you're in Maury, it's an old school, and you know you could describe it as crumbling to a degree. It is well deserving as a new school."
Rose said he returned to the building about a week before Friday's ceremony and had a similar impression.
"It felt the very same as when I was there, you know, eight months ago," he said.
Despite those concerns, the current Maury High School remains an important piece of Norfolk's history, particularly for residents of Ghent and generations of alumni.
The redevelopment plans call for preserving the historic portion of the existing school, although city leaders have not yet determined what it will eventually become.
Clanton said finding a way to preserve that history has been a priority throughout the planning process.
"We knew that we needed a new building. We needed something that was going to give us 21st century learning for the students that were here and for the future students who'll be in here," Clanton said.
But he also believes the historic school deserves a future of its own.
"We've torn down a lot of historical buildings in this city. I didn't want this to be one of those, and so I think that we've got some adaptive reuse opportunities for us in the future," he said.
Clanton said City Council will eventually take up the question of what happens to the old building.
For Rose, preserving Maury's legacy goes beyond protecting the physical structure.
"What people I think will soon find out is that the history of Maury isn't necessarily defined by the building," Rose said.
"And yes, it's so thrilling to see a new Maury literally 100 yards from the old. I think that what will be understood in a short period of time is the spirit and the history of Maury will stay alive 100 yards away in a place that truly our students and community deserve."
That connection between the old and new schools is also influencing the building's design.
Hudson said architects have worked to incorporate elements that complement the historic Maury High School and the surrounding Ghent neighborhood.
"What we really tried to do is with the architecture and design of this new building, we really tried to complement existing Maury and the surrounding neighborhood," Hudson said.
"As you start to see the outside take shape, you'll start to see a lot of similar design elements that really bring homage to the history of Maury."
There will also be a surprise hidden somewhere inside the new school.
Hudson revealed that a time capsule will be incorporated into the building, with a plaque identifying its location.
While the project continues moving forward, the new school is also being built at a time when Norfolk Public Schools is navigating other major changes, including school closures and consolidation efforts.
Clanton acknowledged that those decisions have been difficult for families who have strong connections to their neighborhood schools.
"Closings are never easy. We all have emotional attachments and things like that to our various different community schools," Clanton said.
But he said the district must also consider the condition of its facilities and the needs of future students.
"The average age of our schools in Norfolk are over 60 some odd years old, and when you start talking about internet and AI and all these other things that are going to be in place, we've got to make sure we're keeping up with what we need," Clanton said.
Rose also acknowledged the challenges that come with transitioning students between schools.
"What we've learned and are learning in Norfolk is that even when we're closing schools and transitioning students, the focus is on the needs of students and community, as opposed to this concept of the building represents the community," Rose said.
"It's actually the people that do."
As construction continues, Hudson said the partnership between Heartland Construction, the city of Norfolk and Norfolk Public Schools has helped keep the project moving forward despite the challenges of building a large school on a relatively tight site.
"We're on the same team. We got the same goal," Hudson said. "Anytime any issue comes up, it's a simple phone call, a simple meeting, and we're able to move right past it."
Crews expect to have the building ready for move-in during the summer of 2028, allowing students and staff to transition into the new school before classes begin that fall.
Hudson said the signed beam is expected to be installed within approximately six weeks of Friday's ceremony. Crews will protect the signatures before placing the beam and keep it covered during the remainder of construction.
For Clanton, seeing the project take shape has become something of a routine.
"I'm secretly, I come by here maybe three or four times a week just to kind of see the progress that's happening," he said.
And while there's still plenty of construction ahead, Friday's ceremony gave the community an opportunity to celebrate how far the project has come.
A new school is rising in Ghent, but the names signed on Friday's beam will serve as a lasting connection to the people who helped welcome its next chapter.
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