Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Kentucky District Opens New Elementary School

  • By Matt Jones
  • 08/16/22

Bowling Green Independent Schools in Bowling Green, Ky., recently celebrated a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new elementary facility, Rich Pond Elementary School. Work on the project began about two years ago and continued through the pandemic, according to local news, and also entailed the demolition of the original building to clear space for the new one behind it.

Local news also reports that 830 students attended the first day of school on August 10. “It became a reality that we’re in our new building,” said Principal Derick Marr. “We closed the year out with 77. So we are seeing an exponential amount of growth on this side of the county.”

The district partnered with Sherman Carter Barnhart Architects on the project’s design. The school houses students in grades PreK–5. Each grade has its own pod, according to the firm’s website, and has individual classrooms surrounding a flexible learning area. Second- and third-grade pods are on the first floor and third-, fourth- and fifth-grade pods on the second. The building’s central space will serve as a flexible commons area that will be used as a practice gym and a staging area for students arriving to and departing from school.

The campus gym features a stage and seating for 850 and was also designed to serve as a community tornado shelter. The area can withstand winds of up to 250 mph and can operate independently in terms of HVAC, plumbing and electricity during and after severe weather events.

The building’s second floor also contains a media center overlooking the commons that contains multiple areas of flexible seating and furnishings. The media center contains amenities like a wireless computer lab, a makers space and a story-telling area, according to the project’s website.

“We tried to incorporate the features and the traditions of the old building and brought them into the new with just a facelift,” said Marr. “The history that’s been here was definitely something that we tried to tap into. As you walk through the building, you’re gonna see some things that we worked on. We brought pieces of the old hardwood floor.”

About the Author

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

Featured

  • Can AI Help Build Stronger Communities in Student Housing?

    Student housing success is shifting from operational performance to student experience, with belonging now at the center. A recent 2025 report underscores a growing emphasis on student well-being, community, and engagement, signaling that expectations now extend beyond logistics to ensure students feel supported in their living environments. AI is enabling that shift by reducing administrative workload and giving teams more time to focus on meaningful student engagement.

  • California K–12 District Finishes Renovations on Multi-Sport Stadium

    The Alameda Unified School District (AUSD) in Alameda, Calif., recently announced the completion of a renovation project on the Encinal Jr. & Sr. High School stadium, according to a news release. The district partnered with Quattrocchi Kwok Architects (QKA) and Bothman Construction on the facility, and funding came from Bond Measure B.

  • How a Portable Sink Helped an Art Classroom Run More Smoothly

    Classroom design decisions can have outsized effects on instructional time and safety at schools juggling mismatched infrastructure, strict budgets, and crowded schedules — particularly in the arts. Between spilled paint and dirty brushes, art classes run smoother with a sink in the studio. But many schools don’t have a sink in every art classroom.

  • 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.