ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. (WDBJ) – Roanoke County Public Schools hits a milestone – the final beam is now in place for the future Roanoke County Career & Technology Center.
To celebrate, they held a Topping Out ceremony and offered tours of the progress.
The ceremony marks the future placement of the ceremonial final beam on the Career & Technology Center’s structure–a symbol of progress and a turning point towards the grand opening.
“The topping out ceremony is really a celebration of all of the people who had a part in making the progress on the building,” said Roanoke County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Ken Nicely.
Dr. Nicely said the facility will be state of the art and will bring all programs from the current Burton Center for Arts & Technology to the new building.
They’re also implementing new programs like HVAC, Dental Hygiene, Collision repair and cybersecurity and they have flexible space available to accommodate additional programs in the future.
“Another thing that I love about the space is in each program, the kids are not only learning the skills and knowledge related to that program, but we also want them to learn the business side of that program,” added Dr. Nicely.
Career & Technical Education Director, Jason Suhr, officially launched a brand-new Campaign for Excellence– it’s a fundraising initiative.
The goal is to give students the resources so they can meet the demands of our area’s evolving workforce.
“Looking at it as a workforce development tool for not just Roanoke County, but for the region, this is going to be very impactful and for our region, and we’re just excited the schools are going to be blessed for decades to come with this facility and everything that it brings to the table,” said Suhr.
Officials said they’re a little ahead of schedule. The facility is expected to open sometime in late 2026 or early 2027 at the latest.
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