College Station ISD Breaks Ground on New CTE Center

The College Station Independent School District in College Station, Texas, recently broke ground on a new Career and Technical Education (CTE) Center. The district partnered with VLK Architects on the facility, which will serve both of its high schools, according to a news release. Funding for the project comes from a 2021 bond, and the first phase of construction is scheduled for completion by summer 2024.

The CTE Center’s first phase involves the construction of a district Agricultural Barn featuring 60 pens for small animals and 20 pens for cattle. It also includes a multipurpose arena to host both agricultural shows and CTE field trips, as well as expositions for students of all ages across the district. The building will also leave room for flexibility and expansion as the district agriculture program grows, the news release reports.

“There are many students in our district who want to show livestock,” said CSISD Director of Communications Chuck Glenewinkel. “Some of them to not have the ability to do so because of lack of land to do so, or homeowner association regulations in their neighborhoods. This facility will make it possible for all CSISD students to have the opportunity to learn accountability, bookkeeping, and showmanship, and if they are successful, they are financially rewarded at the end. There is power in learning the value of hard work and the rewards that accompany it.”

The school district and VLK Architects also partnered with construction engineering firm Salas O’Brien to determine the barn’s optimal mechanical, electrical, and plumbing requirements. The facility will feature wash stations, grooming stations, and storage areas subdivided to each high school that will give students the responsibility of maintaining their own spaces.

“VLK is honored to have partnered with College Station ISD in the design of the Agricultural Barn, the first within the school district,” said VLK Principal Melissa Fleming. “We are excited by the opportunities this facility will provide for all CSISD students.”

About the Author

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

Featured

  • FGCU Breaks Ground on New Health Sciences Building

    Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) has launched construction on a major new academic facility that leaders say will reshape healthcare education in Southwest Florida for decades to come, according to university news.

  • Round Rock ISD Completes New Early College High School

    Round Rock ISD near Austin, Texas, recently announced that construction is complete on a new, 46,500-square-foot campus for Early College High School, according to a news release. The new facility will allow the school’s students and staff to move from portables into a permanent building and increase its enrollment to 500.

  • 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.

  • New Arizona Fine Arts School Reaches Construction Milestone

    Construction of the new Hilltop School for the Arts and Theater in Litchfield Park, Ariz., recently hit a significant milestone, according to a news release. The Agua Fria High School District held a beam-signing ceremony to celebrate the building’s topping out, or the placement of its last structural beam.