The district had two separate schools that served their small, rural student population. Both campuses needed extensive updates and lacked 21st century spaces. The new, smaller single campus school serves the district within a tighter footprint with increased 21st century program space. The design nearly eliminates non-instructional space (hallways, cafeteria, kitchen) and allows for highly collaborative learning studios within an efficient footprint.
The FOREST, RIVER, and MEADOW iconography guide young learners and visitors through the space. The abstracted natural colors and themed graphics create a stimulating and age-appropriate place for students to feel comfortable and connected.
Common spaces allow groups of students to do collaborative and project work adjacent to the primary learning space in which they are assigned. Whole student wrap-around services are located in the common zones to allow convenient access for all students. Outdoor learning spaces are readily accessible to students and faculty. A large, circular outdoor classroom space includes a lawn lecture area, tables and chairs, portable sink for wet lab experiments, and even a giant chess board!
The district's two aging schools required immediate, extensive renovations.
The result? A cutting-edge, K-8 school, where nearly every inch fosters collaboration and flexibility in a streamlined footprint.
- 11% Less Space for the District to Maintain
- Flexible Spaces and Furniture
- Safety Features
- Secure Entry Sequence
- Project Based Learning
- Innovative Space
- Outdoor Classroom
- Distributive Dining
- Award of Merit, Exhibition of Educational Environments: IASB/IASBO 2019 Conference
The district spent four years working with the community and staff to plan for an expansion and renovation with the goal of meeting the needs of growing enrollment and providing future-focused learning opportunities to students.
The Mahomet-Seymour School District wanted to take advantage of their high school expansion to create an image that reflected the strong civic pride in their school’s education, music and athletic programs.
The Prairie Central PK-4 Elementary school is an opportunity to unify elementary programming under one roof for the first time in district history. Not only will it mark a new location for educational programming in the district, it also will be planned to allow for future programming needs, including expansion to a PK-5 or PK-8 school in the distant future. The building is designed to support roughly 800 students with five smaller flexible environments or zones within the space.