Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Minnesota District Holds Ribbon-Cutting for New High School

  • By Matt Jones
  • 10/04/23

Owatonna Public Schools in Owatonna, Minn., recently completed construction on a new high school for the district and celebrated a ribbon-cutting ceremony in late September, according to a news release. Owatonna High School covers 300,000 square feet and was designed by Wold Architects and Engineers to reflect the local community and available career paths for students.

The new facility includes spaces for career pathways like nursing, digital fabrication, the culinary arts, publishing and digital content creation, and science and engineering, according to the news release. The school also features a commons area designed to elicit the feeling of a town square, as well as ties to local industries to build partnerships between students and local businesses.

“Following years of working alongside many incredible local businesses, partners, staff and students, we are thrilled to finally open Owatonna High School and watch our students excel,” said Owatonna Public Schools Superintendent Jeff Elstad. “This school will help them foster a sense of community and ownership over their learning in an innovative and inspiring environment while serving as a source of excitement and pride for the city of Owatonna.”

Wold Architects and Engineers involved hundreds of staff members, students, community members, and local business leaders as they solicited input for the school’s design and community values. The land for the new school—as well as $20 million—was donated by mutual insurance company Federated Insurance. The district also partnered with construction manager Kraus-Anderson.

“After almost 10 years of working with Owatonna Public Schools to unite the community to successfully pass a referendum and design the district’s new high school, we’re proud to see the innovative building finally come to life,” said Wold Architects and Engineers partner Paul Aplikowski. “We’re grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with the district and local voices to create a school that reflects the community it serves. We are excited to see how this school realizes the district’s vision for education for many years to come and becomes a role model for the area in high school education.”

About the Author

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

Featured

  • 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.

  • St. Lucie County, Fla., Breaks Ground on New K–8 School

    St. Lucie Public Schools in St. Lucie County, Fla., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for a new K–8 school, according to a news release. The district partnered with Spiezle Architectural Group, Inc., for the design of the upcoming Ft. Pierce K–8 School, which comprises six buildings covering 215,000 square feet.

  • Wyoming District Breaks Ground on New Elementary School

    Laramie County School District #1 in Cheyenne, Wy., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the upcoming Mountain View Elementary School, according to a news release. The facility has an estimated completion date of summer 2028, and it will have the capacity for 650 students in fifth and sixth grade.

  • URI Cuts Underwater Ribbon on New Ocean Robotics Laboratory

    The University of Rhode Island recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new Ocean Robotics Laboratory at its Narragansett Bay Campus, according to a news release. Two students used a remotely operated vehicle to cut an underwater ribbon in a 30-by-20-foot test tank.