We are excited to share the new elementary school project is moving forward as scheduled. The project went out for bid in late October, with bids due on November 10th. We are happy to share that the district received multiple bids for each bid category for the new elementary project. Project awards took place at our Board of Education meeting in December.
The new elementary groundbreaking is slated for the spring of 2021. The new elementary school features three wings, one for Kindergarten/First Grade, one for Second/Third Grades, and one for Fourth/Fifth grades. These wings have been aptly named Montcalm, Kent, and Newaygo, highlighting the three counties that make up our Tri County Area. The building spaces are designed with learning as the key focus, such examples are a compass ( with a Viking head imprint) is featured in the floor at the hub of the building to teach students direction, and the cafeteria will have a mural teaching the seasons in Michigan.
Other features include a dedicated STEM lab, newly designed Media Center, and extended learning spaces for individual or small group work.
As we finalize details for the elementary, we will also focus on the design for the new cafetorium at the high school. We hope to have the new cafetorium out for bid in the Spring of 2021.