Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

North Dakota District Prepares for New High School

  • By Matt Jones
  • 01/18/22

The planning process for a second high school for Minot Public Schools in Minot, N.D., is underway after voters passed a $109-million bond in December 2021.

The district is currently preparing schematics to determine the facility’s layout and contents; once those schematics are complete, the plans will enter the design and development phase and get details like furniture and fixtures. The district’s most immediate goal is to have construction drawings and to be preparing for project bidding by spring.

In addition to the new construction, the district also plans to convert its existing Minot High School Magic City Campus (which currently serves students grades 11-12) into a full, four-year high school, and the existing Minot High School Central Campus (which currently serves students grades 9-10) into a middle school.

“We’re feeling very good about the schedule. We should be easily able to make all of this transition by August of 2024,” said Minot School Superintendent Mark Vollmer. “Our goal is to, by May 1, to have the high school named and a mascot and colors, and actually beginning freshmen team sports next year that will be representing that new high school.”

Remodeling work at the Magic City Campus is set to include building a second gymnasium, adding locker space and renovating the school’s science and career and technical education areas. Local news reports that the district has applied for a $10-million career and technical education grant from the state of North Dakota to aid in the proposed construction.

Another task is to engage in boundary discussions to decide which elementary and middle schools will feed into which of the district’s two full-service high schools. “We believe once that high school is in place that we will see tremendous growth in that part of town,” Vollmer said. “Those decisions are going to be very emotional discussions, but exciting discussions for people. I think we just need to realize that at the end of the day, we’re not going to be overcrowded. We’re not going to be stuffing kids in portable classrooms anymore, and we’ll be making our educational opportunities more equitable for kids.”

About the Author

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

Featured

  • Campus Safety Requires Using Every Resource Available

    Across the U.S., school and campus leaders are facing a security landscape that has changed dramatically over the past decade. Incidents on school property have increased in recent years, with several consecutive years setting record totals. According to analysis of data by CNN, dozens of shootings now occur on school grounds annually across K-12 and higher education environments.

  • University of Kansas Breaks Ground on Entrepreneurship Hub

    The University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kan., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the new KU Entrepreneurship Hub, according to university news. The Hub is part of the university’s School of Business and will include spaces for experiential learning and programming.

  • Philadelphia Middle School Facility Earns LEED Gold Certification

    The Alternative Middle Years (AMY) at James Martin Middle School in Philadelphia, Penn., recently received a LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, according to a news release. The School District of Pennsylvania partnered with KSS Architects on the project.

  • Benson Polytechnic High School in Portland, OR

    Preserving Legacy, Designing for the Future

    As historic academic buildings age, institutions face a difficult decision: preserve and adapt or demolish and rebuild. How do we honor the legacy of these spaces while adapting them to meet the needs of modern learners?