Texas District Finishes Construction on New Middle School, Admin Building

The Westwood Independent School District recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Westwood Middle School and Administration Building in Palestine, Texas, according to a news release. The campus covers 106,000 square feet and has the capacity for 650 students in grades 6–8, and it will also play home to the district’s staff and administration.

The July 31 ceremony included an open house and guided tours before the start of school on Aug. 13. Funding for the middle school came from Bond 2021, a $38-million bond referendum that went toward new facilities, renovations, and repairs and upgrades around the district. Funding for the administration building came through local resources and wasn’t included in the bond package, according to the news release.

“These new facilities are a testament to the vision of our community and the commitment to creating learning environments where our students can thrive,” said WISD Superintendent Wade Stanford. “We’re already seeing a positive impact on student engagement and staff collaboration.”

The district partnered with Fitzpatrick Architects and Pfluger Architects for the project’s design, as well as Jackson Construction for construction services. The project consisted of renovating four existing buildings into a single facility. The campus consists of new and refurbished buildings that took advantage of existing structures, foundations, and loadbearing walls.

“The design intent is to support the learning space profile defined by input from the community, parents, staff, and students,” said Pfluger CEO Terry Hoyle. “The learning spaces include flexible and comfortable instructional spaces; collaborative spaces for engagement, creativity, and student choice; and non-academic spaces for community engagement and outdoor learning.”

About the Author

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

Featured

  • 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.

  • Stanford Completes Construction on Graduate School of Education Facility

    Stanford University in Stanford, Calif., recently announced the end of construction on a new home for its Graduate School of Education, according to a news release. The university partnered with McCarthy Building Companies on the 160,000-square-foot project, which involved two major renovations and one new construction effort.

  • LSU Breaks Ground on $200M Residential Project

    Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, La., recently broke ground on a new residential complex, according to university news. The South Quad residential project will consist of two buildings and add a total of 1,266 beds for freshmen students. The development comes with a price tag of $200 million, and it’s scheduled to open to students in fall 2027.

  • Different Starting Points, Same End Goal

    Higher education campuses can enhance student experience by implementing mobile credentials to streamline building access, on-campus payments, and access to other amenities. This enables students to connect to their campuses through the technology they use most: their mobile devices.