In June 2023, Nielsen Builders began the long-awaited $90 million project to renovate and expand Buford Middle School in Charlottesville, VA. The complete overhaul is designed to bring the 1960’s-era facilities into the 21st century and make room for 6th grade as Walker Upper Elementary is phased out, along with giving the building a completely new look under the name Charlottesville Middle School.
Scheduled for completion by August 2026, the two-phase renovation project will modernize existing facilities, improve accessibility features, increase energy efficiency, and enhance school safety. This fall, students return to Charlottesville Middle School with construction still underway; space is limited, but teachers are finding ways to adapt their instruction to these conditions. In the meantime, reception to new facilities such as the astounding new gymnasium has been overwhelmingly positive. We had the opportunity to sit down with administrators, teachers, architects, and custodians involved with the renovations to get an inside scoop on how the modernization impacts school pride, cleanliness, student life, reputation, and the future of public education in Charlottesville for generations of students to come.
Formerly known as Buford Middle School, Charlottesville Middle School opened in August of 1966 to function as one of the Junior High Schools in Charlottesville, along with Walker Junior High (now Walker Upper Elementary School.) Buford eventually developed into Charlottesville’s only Middle School by 1988, providing for both 7th and 8th grade. In the early 2000s, a discussion arose about potentially modernizing the building. However, it wasn’t until 2019 that planning became a legitimate possibility, after the Charlottesville City School Board authorized $3 million for renovation planning.
Lead Architect and Charlottesville local Ben Thompson headed the design process with VMDO, an architectural firm specializing in designing for educational institutions in both Charlottesville and Washington, D.C. Thompson’s design prioritized collaboration and community involvement, relying heavily on willing community members and their input to improve the building for all. Along with VMDO, Harrisonburg Construction Company Nielsen Builders were hired by the City Council to properly manage the project. After enduring financial and funding difficulties for over a decade, the Charlottesville City Council finally allocated roughly $75 million and began the long-awaited renovation in June 2023.
“I get to work on schools all over Virginia, in other states, and even internationally,” says architect Ben Thompson, “this one is extra special because I live here in Charlottesville. My family and I are part of this community, and our kids have gone through Charlottesville City Schools, so being involved in shaping our public schools feels personal and important.”
One of Thompson’s priorities while working on the renovation was making sure the new design reflected current-day standards for sustainable development. The new Charlottesville Middle School building uses geothermal heating and solar power to work towards a goal of Net Zero Energy, allowing students to, in Thompson’s words, “thrive academically and physically while learning the importance of caring for the planet.”
Teachers and administrators have also expressed enthusiasm for the design’s focus on creating friendly and inviting atmospheres: natural light and open-ended “breakout spaces” (pictured below) are scattered throughout the new Charlottesville Middle School, abandoning an orthodox classroom layout in favor of spaces designed to facilitate group-based learning. Principal Rodney Jordan says, “I think our new space has opened the door for greater student collaboration, exploration, and critical thinking. Our breakout spaces and glass walls give our teachers the flexibility to teach in their classrooms, but also have small groups of students work in the corridors without having to worry about adequate supervision. The key is making sure our teachers allow our students to own the many spaces on our campus.”
Rendering by VMDO Architects
Reception to the new facilities at CMS from both staff and students has been positive, but space is limited while they wait for renovations on the old building to be complete. Ms. Suchocki, a longtime teacher at CMS says: “The views from our expansive windows after 11 years in a windowless classroom more than make up for the limited space. Every day I notice something that really showcases the intentionality in the building’s design. The outside views are lovely but walking through the halls and seeing students engaged and utilizing these new learning spaces boosts my mood more than I imagined it could.” The conditions may momentarily be less than ideal- but the entire staff understands it’s a small price to pay for the significant improvements CMS is receiving.
We interviewed Shaun Walters, longtime health and PE teacher at Charlottesville Middle School, about the new athletic facilities that opened with Phase 1 of renovations. “It’s a larger space, since we have some larger classes now,” he says. “I love the PA system here because it was always hard to hear in the old gym. In this one, it’s crystal clear.”
CMS has begun holding a monthly community time within the space to foster school unity, and now plans to use the space for other events that previous facilities weren’t equipped to handle. “We’ll use this space now for dances, meetings… There’s a lot of possibilities with the new gym and what we can utilize it for,” Walters added.
Along with being a long-term educator at CMS, Walters is a member of the reconfiguration committee in charge of preparing the school for the incoming 6th grade class, ensuring that the renovated school will prove suitable for the addition of a new grade. CMS now has a capacity of 1,050 students, a number which Walters says gives the school plenty of room to grow in coming years.
As part of the reconfiguration process, Walters and other teachers have also been organizing events and meetings with staff from Walker Upper Elementary to prepare them for the transition to CMS: “We’re going to look for ways that some of the Walker teachers who are going to be joining us next year can connect and have them see what we do, and us see what they do, so we can bring the best of both worlds together when we’re all together next year.” says Mr. Paquette, a teacher at CMS.
The renovations at CMS have also helped to significantly boost school pride within the student body. “When you look at the kids, you can tell that they’re proud of the school,” says custodian for the last 13 years, Ms. Martin. “It’s like being in a totally different environment.”
Construction dust from the ongoing renovation has become an obstacle for Ms. Martin and the entire custodial team, but kids and teachers alike have appreciated the new building’s cleanliness, in spite of the current remnants of construction: “We had some students that came in and the first thing that they commented on was how clean it was,” says Mr. Walters, “I think [CMS students] are taking ownership of the area and they’re being more responsible with taking care of it.”
This positive attitude towards the renovations has strengthened school pride and made students more enthusiastic about their new middle school. Ms. Martin says it best: “The most exciting thing about the new Charlottesville Middle School is that every kid has an opportunity to learn and come into a school you can be proud of.”
The building’s cleanliness has given the middle school a significant reputation boost, says Principal Jordan: “We’ve had several students either transfer in from private schools or not transfer to private schools after 6th grade. To help with the reputation, we’ve scheduled a number of tours for CCS staff, families, and the community at large. So far, the response has been overwhelmingly positive.”
Both Principal Jordan and architect Ben Thompson anticipate phase 2 of renovations finishing in time for the 2026-2027 school year, which will bring the old Buford Middle School building the same upgrades students are currently enjoying in the new buildings this year. As Thompson puts it, “This isn’t just about today’s students – it’s about generational, transformative change that will impact learners and families in Charlottesville for decades.”
