23-05-2025
Final graduation held at Liberty High School ahead of school merger
CLARKSBURG, – In 2024, the West Virginia Board of Education approved the closure and consolidation of several schools within the state.
On Thursday evening, Liberty High School held its final graduation ceremony before it undergoes a merger with Robert C. Byrd High School.
The last class of seniors walked across the stage to receive their diplomas, marking the end of an era for the school, which has served the community for decades. Effective for the 2025–2026 academic year, Liberty students will be in a new school.
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'The achievements is phenomenal because I got to be final senior class president here. I am also the vice president of National Honor Society, and I pretty well helped coordinate most of the events here,' 2025 senior class president of Liberty High School Wayne Shuman said. 'Last night, we did senior sunset. It wasn't the best weather, there wasn't actually power up on the field, but we had about 45 kids come out. We had pizza. We all had fun.'
In addition to the closure of Liberty, Mountaineer Middle School and Washington Irving Middle School will undergo restructuring, with both schools integrating and relocating to the former Liberty High School campus.
'It's a feeling that we get to be part of the closure, and we get to help transition other kids to wherever they are going—Lincoln, Byrd, Bridgeport, Doddridge—and to just be a good role model for everybody here,' Shuman said.
During consolidation meetings over the course of the year, the board of education has stated that the goal is to enhance educational opportunities, improve facility utilization and ensure long-term sustainability for the school system.
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