Colorado District Breaks Ground on New PreK–12 School

The Walsh School District in Walsh, Colo., held a groundbreaking ceremony last week to celebrate the beginning of construction on a new PreK–12 school, according to a news release. The 60,000-square-foot facility was designed by Wold Architects and Engineers and is scheduled for completion in spring 2024.

The space will include amenities like upgraded classrooms and learning environments, vocational and agricultural spaces, a library, a competition gym, an auxiliary gym, and a stage, the news release reports. The space was designed with heavy input from district staff and the community at large, and once complete, it will replace many of the district’s aging facilities.

Walsh PK12 School Rendering
Rendering Courtesy of Wold Architects and Engineers

“We have an extremely tight-knit community, and I am ecstatic to see this project come to life and serve our staff and students for years to come,” said Walsh Public Schools Superintendent Corey Weiss. “This has been a longtime vision of ours, and we can’t wait to have a facility that sets our students up to truly soar.”

The project’s funding comes partially from a Colorado Department of Education BEST grant of almost $34 million. The district is also partnering with Diversified Consulting Solutions (DCS) Owners Representatives and GH Phipps Construction, the news release reports.

“As a local firm, we are honored to work with the Walsh School District to create a flexible, innovative space that will support the community and allow students to grow on a singular campus,” said Josh Grenier, Wold Architects and Engineers Principal. “This building will support a diverse student population, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with the district to help bring their ideas to life.”

About the Author

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

Featured

  • Designing for Every Mind

    Learning environments have the power to shape not just what students know, but who they become. When a school is designed with genuine empathy—for the full range of ways students think, sense, and engage with the world—it becomes more than a building. It becomes a catalyst for growth, confidence, and belonging. That is the animating idea behind neurodiverse design, and it is one that is transforming how more architects and designers are thinking about school design.

  • Virginia Tech Tops Out New College of Engineering Building

    Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., recently celebrated the topping out of Mitchell Hall, which will soon stand as the largest College of Engineering building on campus, according to a news release. The university partnered with Skanska on the 285,500-square-foot facility, which has an expected completion date of winter 2028.

  • Q&A: How to Prevent Kitchen Grease Fires in Commercial Kitchens

    School cafeterias and university dining halls serve thousands of meals daily, relying on high-heat equipment like fryers, grills, and ovens. While these operations keep students fed, they also generate significant grease-laden vapors. Without proper controls, this grease becomes a silent fire threat. As a certified exhaust cleaning specialist and business coach who has helped hundreds of institutional facilities achieve NFPA 96 compliance, I emphasize that proactive grease management isn’t optional; it’s a core fire/life safety practice.

  • Tomball ISD Opens New Tomball West High School

    Tomball Independent School District in Tomball, Texas, recently celebrated the official opening of Tomball West High School, the district's third comprehensive high school, with a community ribbon-cutting ceremony, according to a district news release.