Houston-Area District Celebrates Opening of New Elementary School

  • By Matt Jones
  • 09/20/23

The Lamar Consolidated Independent School District in Rosenberg, Texas, recently celebrated the dedication and grand opening of a new elementary school, according to a news release. Ariadne Mathews Gray Elementary School opened this year with an enrollment of 447 students, local news reports, and was designed in partnership with VLK Architects.

According to the news release, the school boasts a prototype campus designed to streamline student circulation; facilitate administration and supervision; and provide safety and security for students, faculty, and staff. Six classroom pods, one per grade level, break off from the main corridor. Each pod includes amenities like special program areas, collaboration spaces, and centralized restrooms. The campus also features multiple outdoor learning spaces fenced off from one another between classroom pods. The campus’ heart is a centralized media center with a large group instruction space.

The school was named after Ariadne Mathews Grey, a native of Richmond, Texas, and graduate of Lamar Consolidated High School. She was the founder and CEO of Lunches of Love, a nonprofit that feeds more than 4,000 students across 18 schools in the district.

“Ariadne’s heart for students and her community is contagious, and it was very evident that she loved what she did,” said Lamar CISD Superintendent Dr. Roosevelt Nivens. “It was a true honor to know Ariadne, and the service that Lunches of Love provides to the community is second to none.”

About the Author

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

Featured

  • 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.

  • Ancient Resilience: How Indigenous Intelligence Shapes the 4Roots Education Building

    As climate change intensifies, educational spaces must evolve beyond basic sustainability toward true resilience – we must design environments that can adapt, respond, and thrive amid shifting, and intensifying, climate hazards. Drawing on indigenous wisdom and nature-based strategies, integrating resilient design offers a path to create learning environments that are not only functional but deeply in tune with their natural surroundings.

  • Uvalde Schools Receive AI Security Technology through Grant Program

    AI-powered gun detection and emergency response technology solutions provider Omnilert recently launched the Save Haven Grant program, according to a news release. The first recipient of the grant, aimed specifically at schools that have faced gun violence, will be the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District (Uvalde CISD) in Uvalde, Texas.

  • Gretna East High School

    Gretna East High School

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. Gretna East High School has been recognized with an EDS 2025 Project of Distinction award in the category of New Construction.

Digital Edition