Town of Leicester to Assess Middle School and Existing Public School Buildings

Finegold Alexander Architects proudly announces they have been selected by the Town of Leicester, Mass. and the Massachusetts School Building Authority as the Architects for the Feasibility and Schematic Design phases of the Leister Middle School project.

“We are thrilled to be working with Finegold Alexander to help build the new Middle School,” said Marilyn Tenzca, superintendent, Leicester Public Schools. “They understand our community and we are excited about the process which will help us educate students for the future.”

Leicester Middle School was originally constructed in 1961 as the Leicester High School. The building is a single-story structure of approximately 74,000 square feet. The location of the existing building is part of a 43-acre campus that is shared with the Leicester Primary School and the Leicester High School.

The building was converted to the Leicester Middle School in 1994, upon the opening of the new high school. The town is seeking to address the educational program limitations and the facility deficits of the current middle school, but also to evaluate the project in context of the overall School District needs and vision.

The Feasibility Study kicked-off with an existing building and site conditions assessment in parallel with a series of Educational Visioning Workshops with the district, including representatives from the school administration, faculty, staff, parents and students. “The visioning session helped to identify and understand the aspirations of the school and the community. It also uncovers key community issues and concerns related to the project,” said Regan Shields Ives, principal, Finegold Alexander Architects.

“The feasibility study will evaluate options for renovations, expansion, or creation of a new building as well as potential grade configurations ranging from a 6-8, 5-8 or pK-8 school.

“At the conclusion of the Feasibility Study, a preferred schematic design option will be presented to the MSBA for a vote to move forward into the Schematic Design phase.

More information is availalble at www.faainc.com.

Featured

  • Houston K–12 District Opens New Elementary School

    The Lamar Consolidated Independent School District (Lamar CISD) recently announced the completion of a new elementary school in a western suburb of Houston, Texas, according to a news release. Haygood Elementary School measures in at 110,000 square feet, has the capacity for 854 students, and is the first of three new schools scheduled to be built in the Cross Creek West community.

  • Chartwells Launches Campus Dining Evaluation Framework

    Contract food-service management provider Chartwells Higher Education recently announced the launch of BLUEPRINT, according to a news release. The evaluation framework was designed to provide a data-driven and customizable roadmap towards optimizing campus dining services and, by extension, the student experience.

  • UT System Approves First Funds for New Campus

    The University of Texas System Board of Regents recently approved funds to build the first facility of a new campus in far west Fort Worth, Texas, according to university news. UTA West will serve as a branch of the University of Texas at Arlington and is scheduled to open in fall 2028.

  • Hawaii Elementary School Breaks Ground on New Classroom Building

    Kealakehe Elementary School in Kailua, Hawaii, recently began construction on a new, $16-million classroom building for its campus, according to a news release. The 13,000-square-foot building will stand two stories and connect the existing upper and lower campuses.