School Celebrates Grand Opening

The Bancroft School in Mount Laurel, N.J., celebrated its grand opening on Monday, December 18, 2017. The new campus provides a regional destination of hope where expanded and upgraded learning and living spaces are designed specifically to meet the needs of special education students and their families.

Dewberry, a privately held professional services firm, supported the school with selecting and then developing an appropriate site for the new 80-acre campus.

 Following site selection, Dewberry was responsible for full land development services, including survey; landscape architecture; and site/civil, geotechnical, environmental, and traffic engineering. The design actualizes Bancroft’s vision to provide opportunities for exploration and community interaction with outdoor walking paths of various scales; locations for play, including sports fields and playgrounds; and garden areas that focus on bringing nature into the everyday interaction of the children in the school. Dewberry studied how the school’s special needs students would use the space and designed secure areas that provide a safe environment without feeling constrained or confining. Hardscape and landscape materials and plantings were carefully selected to keep users safe.

Featured

  • UNT Dallas Holds Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony for $100M STEM Building

    The University of North Texas at Dallas in Dallas, Texas, recently celebrated the opening of its new, $100-million STEM Building, according to local news. The ceremony on Dec. 2 preceded the first day of classes in the facility on Jan. 12, 2026.

  • Geometric abstract school illustration

    How Design Shapes Learning and Success

    Can the color of a wall, the curve of a chair, or the hum of fluorescent lights really affect how a student learns? More schools are beginning to think so.

  • Minnesota Middle School Finishes $23.5M Addition and Modernization

    Highland Park Middle School in St. Paul, Minn., recently announced the completion of a $23.5-million addition and remodel project, according to a news release. Saint Paul Public Schools partnered with ATS&R Planners, Architects & Engineers for its design and Kraus-Anderson for its construction.

  • NWEA Report Recommends K–12 Natural Disaster Recovery Strategies

    The Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA), a K–12 assessment and research organization, recently announced the release of a new playbook for schools and communities recovering from extreme weather events, according to a news release.