Beginning in the fall, Mathews County’s eighth grade class will be moving from Thomas Hunter Middle School to Mathews High School.

While the choice to expand MHS to a facility for grades eight-12 was eventually made by a unanimous 5-0 vote of the Mathews County School Board during a meeting Tuesday night, the decision was far from an easy one for board members. Several members expressed concerns over the possible negatives of making such a move, recognizing that the situation was far from ideal.

School board chair Dr. Mari Gibbs called this “the most difficult moment that I’ve had in my short time on this board,” recognizing that the board will make people unhappy either way it decided to go on this issue.

Superintendent of Schools Dr. David Daniel gave his overview of the proposal to move the eighth grade at the start of the meeting in the Brooks Auditorium at THMS, before the public comment period. During public comment, some said that the eighth graders would not have the ...