Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Denver School District Debuts New PreK–8, Project-Based Learning Environment

  • By Matt Jones
  • 12/13/22

Mapleton Public Schools in Denver, Colo., recently announced the completion of a design-build redevelopment in partnership with The Neenan Company, according to a news release. Valley View Innovation School, originally built in 1959 as a K–5 facility, underwent a 60,000-square-foot redevelopment and will now serve as a project-based learning environment to students in grades PreK–8.

The new facility includes amenities that the original didn’t, including a gym, art room, cafeteria, music room, science room, and preschool classrooms. The school’s curriculum will structure its academic year around three or more multidisciplinary projects, each addressing Colorado’s academic standards, the news release reports. Parents will also be able to select the school’s educational approach to their child to ensure the most compatible learning environment.

Valley View Innovation School
Photo courtesy of Michael Robinson Photography

“The transformation of Valley View Innovation School will help empower students to steer their educational experiences, developing a lifelong appreciation for curiosity and active learning,” said Brian Carnahan, The Neenan Company architect. “Mapleton’s visionary choice-based model showcases what we believe is possible for the future of educational facilities when we focus on the individual needs of students and their various learning styles. At the core of each of our education projects is our ability to transform our clients’ visions into realities in order to elevate communities.”

The school is divided into three pods, each featuring four flexible classrooms, and also includes two immersion studios for activities like music, science, arts, cooking, technology, and robotics. Other design features include a lobby/reception area; a recreation center featuring parkour equipment; a half-court area for gym classes; and overhead doors that open into a covered outdoor learning space.

The school is open to PreK–2 students for the current academic year. Each year, it will add grade levels to meet community needs until reaching its full capacity of 482 students. Construction began after the facility closed at the end of the 2018–19 school year. The project was funded through a 2016 community-supported bond and a $17-million Building Excellent Schools Today (BEST) grant from the state of Colorado.

About the Author

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

Featured

  • Architectural Power for the Modern Campus Landscape

    For generations, an outdoor classroom only required a textbook and a patch of grass. Today, not only has the laptop replaced the printed pages, the rise of agile learning has turned campuses into study halls with students listening to lectures and researching topics from quads, gardens, and plazas. The challenge for architects and facility managers is to provide connectivity without cluttering the landscape with visual eyesores or creating safety hazards with extension cords.

  • Colorado School District Breaks Ground on Unified PK–12 Campus

    The Haxtun School District No. Re-2J in Haxtun, Colo., recently announced that ground has been broken on a renovation/addition project that will unite its two schools, Haxtun Elementary and Haxtun Jr/Sr High School, according to a news release.

  • Q&A: How to Prevent Kitchen Grease Fires in Commercial Kitchens

    School cafeterias and university dining halls serve thousands of meals daily, relying on high-heat equipment like fryers, grills, and ovens. While these operations keep students fed, they also generate significant grease-laden vapors. Without proper controls, this grease becomes a silent fire threat. As a certified exhaust cleaning specialist and business coach who has helped hundreds of institutional facilities achieve NFPA 96 compliance, I emphasize that proactive grease management isn’t optional; it’s a core fire/life safety practice.

  • Montclair State University Starts Construction on $120M STEM Building

    Montclair State University in Montclair, N.J., recently broke ground on a new $120-million Interdisciplinary Science Building, according to university news. The university partnered with HoK Architects for the project’s design, and it’s scheduled to open in time for the 2028–29 academic year.