ASHBURN, Va. — No one thought it could be done. Too tight a schedule, they said. Just not possible, they said.
Team Shockey thought differently. And we went to work…
This month, we are pleased to share that Loudoun County’s newest school, Watson Mountain Middle School (MS—14), will open right on time at the start of the 2024-2025 academic year.
“The entire DMV school construction community had decided this school could not be built. No other contractors dared to even bid on the job because they were afraid of the schedule,” said Shockey President Jeff Boehm. “But I am delighted to report that team Shockey bid on the job, won the job, value-engineered the job to bring it to contract, and built the job — all in record time.”
Strategically located on a campus that will also be home to future elementary and high schools, the $111 million Watson Mountain Middle School was built on a fast-track construction schedule. Shockey also completed associated infrastructure for future schools that will eventually share the campus.
Four-Stories, Three Houses — New Middle School Concept
The new 211,000-square-foot building was designed by Stantec and uses Loudoun County’s new four-story middle school prototype. With an anticipated capacity of 1,445 sixth, seventh, and eighth-grade students, the new school includes classrooms, a media center, a cafeteria, an auditorium, main and auxiliary gyms, and athletic fields. The building is divided into three sub-units called “houses,” one for each grade level. Each academic house highlights open meeting spaces and workrooms to inspire learning and collaboration. Career and technical education classrooms and lab space connect to the outdoor areas on the first floor. Special education classrooms are located throughout the building.
Situated on a beautifully-sloped site in an area that has historically been referred to as “Watson Mountain,” the new building features ample windows that flood the school with light and create grand, picturesque views. The new middle school is located within the Dulles North Planning District at 41480 Steeplechase Loop Drive.
Smart Planning To Alleviate Future Overcrowding
Watson Mountain will open this fall using a strategic non-traditional concept, one which proactively addresses the inevitable overcrowding that could occur at the high school level — had MS-14 initially opened as the traditional grades 6-8 middle school model. Instead, the Loudoun County School Board adopted a plan for the 2024-2025 school year which enrolls students in grade 6 and 7 from the current Independence High School/Brambleton Middle School attendance zone. For now, Brambleton Middle School (also built by Shockey) will continue to serve Grade 8 students in that attendance zone.
Experience + Trusted Partnership = Reliability You Can Count On
Both Shockey (the contractor) and Stantec (the architect) have worked with Loudoun County Public Schools for more than 25 years. When you need someone you can count on, when time is tight and the work needs to be done right — experience matters. And so does the trust of key partners, which must be re-earned every single time.
“Bottom line, the best partnerships are built on trust and mutual respect — with everyone working toward a shared goal,” said Boehm. “We knew, from our experience and our partnerships, that we could deliver this project even when everyone else said it couldn’t be done. And we did.”
At Shockey, our team members take great pride in building meaningful partnerships that are rooted in trust and community-building. We think differently. If we sound like the kind of construction partner you’d like to work with in the future, give us a call at (540) 323-3246. Or drop Jeff a line at jboehm@howardshockey.com .
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