The Wetzel County Board of Education on Tuesday, approved a motion to move Long Drain School from its present location beginning with the 2025-26 school and relocate it in the Hundred high school building under a new name.

Hundred high school will be consolidating with Valley High School leaving the present building in Hundred vacant. As a result of the consolidation, Long Drain Principal Jeremy Kelch approached the Wetzel BOE back in December asking if Long Drain could be moved from their current location into the high school building in Hundred, and on Tuesday it was officially approved. Along with the move the school will be renamed Hundred Heritage School. Citizens, teachers and students from Hundred worked together to come up with the new name.

The change does not require state approval. Since the mission of the school will remain the same, no impact statement is needed. At Tuesday’s evening board meeting, the changes were discussed and the board unanimously approved the changes to the school’s location and name for the 2025-2026 school year.

The town will now retain a school, and maintain a place of pride and education within the community. The citizens of Hundred worked diligently to be part of the process hoping to retain the schools’ presence within the town. Although it will not be a high school, it does bring improvements by the additional facilities that will be available in the high school building that Long Drain does not currently offer. It also moves the school out of the floodplain, and into a location above the flood line. Several other additions and changes will need to be made including a playground area.

The county will be downsizing from four high schools to two for the 2025-26 school year as approved by the state. Paden City high school and Magnolia will consolidate as well, and Paden City 6th and 7th graders will move to New Martinsville school.