Ribbon cutting marks the grand opening of the new W.P. Grier Middle School

With the snip of scissors and a large, green ribbon falling to the stage in pieces, the new building for W.P. Grier Middle School in Gastonia was declared officially open – it was the culminating moment of a ribbon-cutting ceremony on August 7 with more than 300 people in attendance.

School leaders, teachers and school staff, elected officials, business and community members, and others as well as retired Grier personnel and former students were on hand for the festivities to celebrate the school’s opening ahead of the 2025-2026 academic year.  The enthusiasm for the new school is evident, according to Dr. Jessica Mellon, the current principal, who said, “It has been exciting to see the transformation take place.”  

“From the second floor window on the main hallway of the old building, we could watch all of the construction,” said Mellon during her ceremony remarks.  “We saw a space where the football field used to be, and in less than two years, it became this amazing building we’re standing in right now.”

The new school is located on 25 acres of land along East Garrison Boulevard, adjacent to the old building, on what once was the football field.  After the old school is demolished in coming weeks, a new sports complex will be built, featuring football, softball, and baseball fields.  Construction on the athletic complex should be finished by this time next year.

With the excitement of the new building also came reflections of the old building still sitting just a stone’s throw away from the new school’s front entrance.  Mellon told the ceremony attendees “that we had outgrown the historic school located just next door, and a new, modern school was desperately needed.”

The doors to the original Grier Middle School opened in 1956, and it is named for William Pressley Grier, who was the superintendent of the Gastonia City Schools for 20 years from 1921 until 1941.

“When Grier was built, the school was the only thing out here.  The churches across Garrison Boulevard were not there, nor was The Schiele Museum.  Burtonwood Avenue did not exist, and Garrison Boulevard was actually called Seventh Avenue,” explained Mellon.  “When the first school opened, it served about 800 students in first through ninth grades.  It became a junior high in 1969 when the younger students moved to the new Sherwood Elementary School, and at one time, Grier had as many as 1,300 junior high students before some of them were moved to Holbrook in 1975.” 

“Thousands of students have passed through the halls of Grier since 1956 and so much has been taught and learned inside the classrooms,” added Mellon.  “We all know the old school served our community well for seven decades, and we know this new school will, too.  Our new school really is a place that will provide so much for our students today as well as students tomorrow and in the future.”

While everyone was there to see the ribbon-cutting, other aspects of the ceremony delighted the audience, including performances by the school’s cheerleaders and chorus.  A highlight was a video message from retired professional basketball player James Worthy, who developed his basketball skills as a standout player at Grier Junior High School and Ashbrook High School.  His Grier jersey is still displayed prominently in the school’s trophy case.

Among the speakers were Dr. Morgen Houchard, superintendent of schools; Josh Crisp, chairman of the Gaston County Board of Education; Chad Brown, chairman of the Gaston County Board of Commissioners; and Richard Franks, mayor of Gastonia.  David Bellamy of LS3P Architects and Susie Lewis of Beam Construction Company presented a plaque to signify the handing over of the keys to the building, and student Jada Williams, parent Courtney Lee, and teacher Kaela Lipscomb offered perspectives about the new school.  Collin Roberts of Parkwood Baptist Church gave the invocation, and Reverend Dan Comerford of First Presbyterian Church offered a blessing for the new school.

“We like to think of this new school as a showplace for teaching and learning in the heart of Gastonia,” said Superintendent Houchard.  “It is a very special place that will inspire great pride and enthusiasm among students, teachers, parents, and everyone in the community for many years to come.”  

The ceremony was recorded, and the video will begin airing the week of August 25 on Spectrum Channel 21, the Education Station for Gaston County Schools.  The video also will be available on the district’s website and YouTube channel.

■ About the new building for W.P. Grier Middle School
The campus of W.P. Grier Middle School is undergoing a transformation.  The first phase of construction – the new school building – is now complete, and after the old school is demolished, a new sports complex (the second phase of construction) will be built, featuring football, softball, and baseball fields.

The contemporary, two-story school with approximately 155,000 square feet can house 1,000 students with the ability to accommodate as many as 1,200.  It includes more than 40 contemporary classrooms with plenty of space for hands-on and collaborative learning; various instructional, office, and conference spaces; a multi-use media center and library; a large cafeteria and multipurpose room; and a modern gymnasium.  The campus also features an improved traffic-flow pattern and more space for parking.
 
The cost to build the new Grier campus is estimated at $50-$60 million.  School bonds, which were approved by voters in May 2018, are paying for the new school.  It is important to note that building on the existing campus saved taxpayer funds because no land had to be purchased.
 
The new Grier is part of the Gaston County Board of Education’s efforts to replace aging school campuses that are being used as middle schools.  Grier is the third middle school facility to be replaced in recent years – a new Stanley Middle opened in March 2018, and a new Belmont Middle opened in August 2021.
 
Beam Construction Company is the general contractor for the new school, and LS3P Associates is the architect.  LS3P Associates also designed the new Stanley Middle School and the new Belmont Middle School, and the new Grier building is similar in design to both Belmont and Stanley.  Beam Construction also built the new Belmont Middle School and the new Pleasant Ridge Elementary School in Gastonia, which opened in August 2017.
 
Named for W.P. Grier, who was the superintendent of the Gastonia City Schools for 20 years (1921-1941), the school opened in 1956 with about 800 students in grades 1-9; it housed junior high school students after the elementary grades were moved to the new Sherwood Elementary in 1969.  A building with a gymnasium, office space, and music classrooms was added to the front of the school in the mid-1980s.  Grier became a middle school for grades 6-8 in 1997, and it currently serves approximately 650 students.