Ohio District Breaks Ground on New Elementary School

This weekend, school leadership in Finneytown, Ohio, broke ground on a new elementary school slated to open in spring 2022. The facility will measure in at 90,000 square feet, and its $22 million price tag will be split between the Ohio Construction Commission and the Finneytown Local School District.

“The current buildings have served the community well, but it is time to have new facilities,” said Terri Noe, Finneytown Local School District Superintendent. “The community understood that it was a better investment for the future to build new instead of trying to renovate the older facilities at a higher cost.”

The new facility, Finneytown Elementary, will feature “learning communities” in which students from multiple grade levels will share a single environment. A news release explains that the goal is to encourage collaboration between students from different classrooms and from different grades.

“Our learning communities are by far the most striking feature of the new building,” said Finneytown Elementary Principal Meredith Baker. “By design, our students, staff, and community will be able to learn together in large, shared spaces in each academic wing. Having flexible spaces and project labs throughout the building facilitate the 21st-century learning our students need and deserve.”

According to Joseph Honnerlaw, a trustee of Springfield Township, Ohio, the new facility will have “a deep and positive impact on the community for years to come, serving generations of families and providing quality educational opportunities for our children.”

The facilities will also feature enhanced safety and wellness features, as well as updated ventilation. Finneytown Schools is partnering with Skanska USA and emersion Design on the project’s design and construction.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Full Sail University Announces First Student Housing Facility

    Full Sail University in Winter Park, Fla., recently announced that development has begun on its first student housing community, according to a news release. The university is partnering with Nvision Development for construction and long-term management of the facility, which will stand five stories and have the capacity for more than 570 beds.

  • Armstrong World Industries Acquires Parallel Architectural Products

    Armstrong World Industries, provider of interior and exterior architectural applications, recently announced that it has acquired the Colorado-based Parallel Architectural Products, according to a news release.

  • 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.

  • South Carolina District Starts Construction on $50M Middle School Renovation

    The Aiken County Public School District in North Augusta, S.C., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the $50-million renovation and expansion of North Augusta Middle School, according to a news release. The project’s funding comes from the 2024 renewal of a one-cent sales tax approved by local voters.