Add as a preferred source on Google

Gemini Middle School Reveal New Changes, Continues Construction

  • By Yvonne Marquez
  • 09/13/19

Gemini Middle School, outside of Chicago, debuted several changes as they began this school year. Formerly known as Gemini Junior High, the school unveiled new renovations as they welcomed their doors to more than 1,000 students from 6th to 8th grade.

The new student commons at Gemini Middle School is filled with natural light.

The expansion and remodeling cost $33 million and is expected to be fully completed by the end of the year. The middle school renovations were designed by DLA Architects.

“We’re really excited about the new spaces that we have created that are going to provide fun, exciting and collaborative learning opportunities for students,” Principal Lewis Roberts told the Chicago Tribune.

“We’ve also spent a lot of time thinking about how students learn...the 21st century learner, and what students are going to need to prepare them not only for high school, but for life skills.”

Gemini Middle School, outside of Chicago, debuted several changes as they began this school year including an expanded cafeteria with learning stairs.

Features of the school include:

  • A new fitness center;
  • An expanded cafeteria with learning stairs;
  • An instrumental music suite;
  • An interior courtyard;
  • An auxiliary multi-purpose room with a stage; and
  • Kitchens for home economics.

The entrance will have the school mascot, along with blue and gold school colors, on the windows. The new student commons is filled with natural light. There are more writable surfaces located throughout the school to encourage expression and learning. In addition, there are numerous plugs to charge student-issued Chromebooks.

Upgrades to the middle school began when East Maine School District 63’s launched their master plan in December 2016. More than 100,000 square feet of space was part of the upgrades.

 

About the Author

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

Featured

  • sapling sprouting from a cracked stone

    Lessons in Resilience: Disaster Recovery in Our Schools

    Facility managers play a pivotal role in how well a school weathers and recovers from a crisis. Whether it's a hurricane, a flood, a tornado, or a man-made event, preparation determines resilience.

  • Preparing for the Next Era of Healthcare Education, Innovation

    Across the country, public universities and community colleges are accelerating investments in healthcare education facilities as part of a broader strategy to address workforce shortages, modernize outdated infrastructure, and expand clinical training capacity. These projects, which are often located at the center of campus health and science districts, are no longer limited to traditional classrooms.

  • 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.

  • El Paso District Breaks Ground on New Elementary School

    The Canutillo Independent School District in El Paso, Texas, recently announced that construction has begun on a 119,000-square-foot elementary school, according to a news release. The district partnered with Pfluger Architects, Carl Daniel Architects, and LDCM Solutions on the new Davenport Elementary School, which has an expected completion date of 2027.

Digital Edition