New Viera Middle School ready to open this school year

After 15 years of community input, planning and building, a celebrated ribbon-cutting was held Tuesday to welcome the opening of Viera Middle School.

Dozens of district, school and community leaders were on hand to officially open the state-of-the art new school. It will welcome roughly 700 students when classes begin Aug. 12. Located immediately north of Viera High School, the new middle school can accommodate 900 students.

“This is a huge day for the Viera community and a huge day for Brevard Public Schools,” said Brevard Public Schools Superintendent Mark Rendell. “For all the students that are going to attend here, they are going to get to come into a brand-new building with all of the best stuff available right now."

What makes Viera Middle School state-of-the-art?

Employees were on site Tuesday putting finishing touches in place. Just that morning the library books arrived and were put on shelves.

“Middle school is really a time of exploration,” said Principal Cathy McNutt. “Students find that they have a passion or interest and we really want our kids to have the opportunity to build that passion and interest moving into the high school.”

The 138,000-square-foot school has:

• A cafetoria, which is a cafeteria and an auditorium

• Promethean boards, which are large, interactive whiteboard, in every classroom.

• Three music rooms: chorus, orchestra and band.

• A robotic and aerospace lab.

• An exploring technology for tech design lab.

What is the cost of the new Viera Middle School?

It cost an estimated $52 million to $55 million to construct. Funds came mainly through educational impact fees, according to the school board.

The school was constructed on a site previously conveyed to Brevard Public Schools by The Viera Co. The school campus houses a main building, a secondary classroom building and a gymnasium building.

District officials said it was costing BPS thousands of dollars to bus students now zoned for Viera Middle beachside to DeLaura Middle.

Back in 2007, parents led a push to build a middle school in Viera. At the time, BPS officials said the school wasn’t needed because the middle schools surrounding Viera — Kennedy (Rockledge), McNair (Rockledge/Cocoa) and DeLaura (Satellite Beach) — were operating at only 75% to 85% of enrollment capacity.

In the past several years, however, Viera has had a boom in growth and development. Viera’s population in 2010 was 19,193 residents. Now it’s roughly 34,000.  

Can students who are not zoned for Viera Middle still attend?

To find out if your child is zoned for Viera Middle School, visit the BPS website.

If you live out of the area, and still want your child to attend the school, you can apply during open enrollment. Applications are accepted Jan. 10 – Feb. 28.

Spitzer can be reached at [email protected]

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Brevard's newest school, Viera Middle, ready to welcome 900 students