Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Iowa High School Breaks Ground on New Music Wing

  • By Matt Jones
  • 03/14/22

Keokuk High School in Keokuk, Iowa, recently began construction on a new wing to provide additional space to the fine arts department. The 8,000-square-foot addition will be built onto the school’s science building and feature two ensemble rooms, spaces for band and choir, administrative space, an auxiliary room and storage. The project comes with an estimated $4-million price tag and is expected to be complete by November.

“Everything our fine arts department needs will be in that wing,” said Principal Adam Magliari. He said the expansion has been on the school’s radar for years and will greatly benefit the 75 students who participate in the school’s choir and band. “Our students are thrilled. It’s been over 30 years since they had a new practice facility. Most people don’t know it, but our show choir is in our cafeteria. That affects every student in your building.”

Funding for the project is coming from the SAVE Fund, which provides state sales tax revenue for improvements to school infrastructure.

“We have a long-lasting tradition of fine arts and competing across the state. Many, many trophies and many awards have come out of our program here, and so it’s been a long time coming to have that area where they can practice,” Magliari said.

The district is partnering with construction manager Carl A. Nelson & Company.

“This year, we are building this new performance center outside the science wing for our music programs,” said Student Council President Abigale Wolter at the groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday, March 9. “I know that limited space has been a recurring issue for these [music] programs, and this new addition will solve all those problems. It will also help programs like Little Feathers and Color Guard; it will give them a place to practice when the gym is being used for other activities.”

About the Author

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

Featured

  • Northeastern University Breaks Ground on New Housing Community

    Northeastern University recently announced the groundbreaking of a new student housing community on its campus in Boston, Mass., according to a news release. The university is partnering with American Campus Communities (ACC) for development of the project, which will have the capacity for 1,200 students and has a scheduled completion date of fall 2028.

  • Utah Valley University Opens New Engineering Building

    Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, recently held a grand-opening ceremony for the new Scott M. Smith Engineering Building, according to a news release. The facility is one of the largest engineering buildings in the state at almost 200,000 square feet, and it plays home to the university’s Smith College of Engineering and Technology (SCET).

  • University of Oklahoma Announces New Campus Master Plan

    The University of Oklahoma in Norman, Okla., recently announced that it will soon launch a new, comprehensive Campus Master Plan to guide the campus’ physical development during the next decade, according to a news release.

  • 144-Year-Old High-School Campus Debuts New Academic Facility

    San Diego High School (SDHS) in San Diego, Calif., recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new student services and classroom building; the project is part of a larger SDHS Whole Site Modernization project that began in 2022.