Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Kentucky District Opens New Elementary School

  • By Matt Jones
  • 08/16/22

Bowling Green Independent Schools in Bowling Green, Ky., recently celebrated a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new elementary facility, Rich Pond Elementary School. Work on the project began about two years ago and continued through the pandemic, according to local news, and also entailed the demolition of the original building to clear space for the new one behind it.

Local news also reports that 830 students attended the first day of school on August 10. “It became a reality that we’re in our new building,” said Principal Derick Marr. “We closed the year out with 77. So we are seeing an exponential amount of growth on this side of the county.”

The district partnered with Sherman Carter Barnhart Architects on the project’s design. The school houses students in grades PreK–5. Each grade has its own pod, according to the firm’s website, and has individual classrooms surrounding a flexible learning area. Second- and third-grade pods are on the first floor and third-, fourth- and fifth-grade pods on the second. The building’s central space will serve as a flexible commons area that will be used as a practice gym and a staging area for students arriving to and departing from school.

The campus gym features a stage and seating for 850 and was also designed to serve as a community tornado shelter. The area can withstand winds of up to 250 mph and can operate independently in terms of HVAC, plumbing and electricity during and after severe weather events.

The building’s second floor also contains a media center overlooking the commons that contains multiple areas of flexible seating and furnishings. The media center contains amenities like a wireless computer lab, a makers space and a story-telling area, according to the project’s website.

“We tried to incorporate the features and the traditions of the old building and brought them into the new with just a facelift,” said Marr. “The history that’s been here was definitely something that we tried to tap into. As you walk through the building, you’re gonna see some things that we worked on. We brought pieces of the old hardwood floor.”

About the Author

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

Featured

  • Campus Safety Requires Using Every Resource Available

    Across the U.S., school and campus leaders are facing a security landscape that has changed dramatically over the past decade. Incidents on school property have increased in recent years, with several consecutive years setting record totals. According to analysis of data by CNN, dozens of shootings now occur on school grounds annually across K-12 and higher education environments.

  • Higher Ed is Betting on New Buildings While Quietly Undermining Their Campuses — Here’s Why

    In this climate, the owner’s representative has changed from a delivery-focused advisor to a strategic campus partner. Institutions are increasingly relying on owner’s reps not just to manage, cope, schedule, and budget, but also help evaluate whether a project should proceed at all.

  • Wold Architects & Engineers Announces Acquisition of JJCA

    Wold Architects & Engineers, based in Minneapolis, Minn., recently announced that it has acquired JJCA, an architecture firm based in Nashville, Tenn., according to a press release. JJCA specializes in healthcare and education design; the partnership allows both firms to expand their presence across the country while building on existing strengths.

  • Health & Science Building

    Health & Science Building

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. The College of Western Idaho's Health & Science Building has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Project of Distinction award in the category of New Construction.