Add as a preferred source on Google

Mich. District Begins Work on Two New Middle Schools

  • By Matt Jones
  • 08/03/21

The Bloomfield Hills School District in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., has begun work on two new facilities in the district. Last year, voters approved a $200 million bond in a larger effort to scale back the number of district middle schools from three to two. Renovations began in May to convert a closed high school, Lahser High, into a middle school by fall 2023. And a groundbreaking ceremony was held on July 29 for an expansion of the existing Bloomfield Hills Middle School, which is also projected to take two years to complete.

Because the work on Bloomfield Hills Middle School is an expansion project, students will be able to attend school in the meantime with minimal disruptions. The district’s other two existing middle schools, East Hills and West Hills, will reopen as elementary schools. The existing Lone Pine Elementary will relocate to the facility currently occupied by West Hills, and the current Eastover Elementary will move into East Hills’ current building.

“We’re here to celebrate the next phase in a really exciting project for our district,” said Superintendent Patrick Watson at the July 29 groundbreaking ceremony. “This will take our district and community into the next several decades.”

Once the reshuffling is complete, the district will have one high school, two middle schools and four elementary schools. Officials say the reconfiguration will help the district address maintenance and building upkeep issues in older facilities, as well as provide more modern amenities to students. According to the current plan, all students will attend school in their relocated facilities for the fall 2023 semester. Construction of ancillary support spaces will continue through fall 2024.

The new facility at Bloomfield Hills Middle School—which will likely be renamed—will feature 114,000 square feet of renovated spaces and 40,000 square feet of new space. The former Lahser High School will feature 90,000 square feet of renovation and 88,000 square feet of new construction.

About the Author

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

Featured

  • Three U.S. Universities Install Acre Security Access Control Platform

    Cloud-native physical and digital security solutions company Acre Security recently announced that it has deployed its access control platform at three major universities in the U.S., according to a news release. Acre partnered with Atrium Campus to provide coverage for more than 69,000 students at the University of Virginia (UVA), George Mason University, and Rockhurst University.

  • ClassVR headsets

    Avantis Education Revamps Hardware for ClassVR Solution

    Avantis Education recently announced the launch of two new headsets for its flagship educational VR/AR solution, ClassVR. According to a news release, the Xcelerate and Xplorer headsets expand the company’s offerings into higher education while continuing to meet the evolving needs of K–12 users.

  • California Middle School Completes Two New Academic Buildings

    Sunnyvale Middle School in Sunnyvale, Calif., recently announced that construction is complete on two new classroom buildings of two stories each, according to a district news release. The new wing will house seventh- and eighth-grade students and is part of a larger campus modernization project.

  • Empowering People Through Smart, Sustainable Campuses

    Sustainability is facing increasing scrutiny, with some questioning its costs and priorities. Yet for universities, it remains an essential driver of resilience, operational efficiency and long-term competitiveness. At the same time, there is a growing recognition that sustainable transformation is not just about reducing energy consumption and emissions to comply with tightening regulations ‒ it’s about creating vibrant, comfortable environments where people can thrive, innovate and connect. For university leadership, this is a complex balancing act, with rising energy costs and limited budgets only adding to the challenge.

Digital Edition