Sartell SD Designs New High School With Career Options in Mind

After voters approved a bond in 2016 and after years of planning and design, Minnesota’s Sartell High School will open on Sept. 3. The nearly $90 million project features open common spaces, classrooms with floor-to-ceiling windows, small-group and large-group work spaces, as well as dedicated labs to create digital media projects.

After voters approved a bond in 2016 and after years of planning and design, Minnesota’s Sartell High School will open on Sept. 3. The nearly $90 million project features open common spaces, classrooms with floor-to-ceiling windows, small-group and large-group work spaces, as well as dedicated labs to create digital media projects.

The new building design places a focus on helping students prepare for a variety of options after they graduate including joining the workforce, following a two-year post-secondary path and attending a four-year college. Spaces for welding and fabrication, a wood shop, an automotive shop and a professional-grade kitchen for culinary arts can be found in the building. A coffee shop and school store in the commons area will give students opportunities to manage a business. A lab will be used in partnership with a local clinic, St. Cloud Orthopedics, where students can learn from medical professionals.

“We need to prepare kids to multi-task,” Sartell-St. Stephan ISD Superintendent Jeff Schwiebert told a local newspaper. “Their careers will not be the same day in and day out. They will work in teams. Our challenge is to make sure we have the space and our curriculum and methods meet those changes.”

The new high school was designed by Cuningham Group in collaboration with IIW-Minnesota. Students and teachers’ input of how they use the school space was incorporated into the design.

Three Learning Neighborhoods house visible, flexible and adaptable learning spaces. Each has a variety of large-group rooms, informal gathering spaces, small-group rooms and space for individual work.

More highlights from the new building include:

  • The Commons, a two-story space with bright colors, tables and comfortable chairs and couches with second-floor windows. Eight science labs overlook the Commons and windows open to the technical education and arts classrooms.
  • Three Learning Neighborhoods house visible, flexible and adaptable learning spaces. Each has a variety of large-group rooms, informal gathering spaces, small-group rooms and space for individual work.
  • A main gym that seats 2,000 people with two giant video screens. An eight-lane swimming pool with an expanded deck for teams and 400 spectator seats. Multiple practice fields and tennis courts on more than 60 acres of green space.

Tours of the new school will be open to the public on Sept. 14th during their Grand Opening & Community Open House event.

About the Author

Yvonne Marquez is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • New Kent State Academic Building Earns LEED Silver Certification

    Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, recently announced that its newest academic building, Crawford Hall, has earned a LEED Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, according to a news release. The facility was recognized for its innovative design, water conservation technologies, energy-efficient systems, and sustainable construction materials, among other features.

  • cutaway view of a modern school building, showing various rooms and zones

    Layering AI into HVAC Systems Shows Reduction in Carbon Emissions

    Heating and cooling systems are just one of the many new ways that AI can be integrated into schools. According to a new study from Schneider Electric's Sustainability Research Institute, AI-powered HVAC systems in schools can lead to significant carbon emissions savings.

  • Kraus-Anderson Continues Work in Minnesota School District

    Maple River Schools in Mapleton, Minn., recently began construction on another project included in a district long-range facilities plan. Construction management firm Kraus-Anderson recently began work on two new classrooms and an outdoor track and field facility, according to a news release.

  • K12 Tutoring Earns Every Student Succeeds Act Level II Validation

    Personalized online tutoring service K12 Tutoring recently announced that it has received Level II validation underneath the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), according to a news release. The independently validated study provides evidence of K12 Tutoring’s role in creating positive student outcomes through effective academic intervention and research-based solutions.

Digital Edition