Following a successful community engagement campaign resulting in a $40 million bond referendum to improve district facilities, Williamsville-Sherman School District moved forward to make significant and essential renovations and additions to both their junior high and high schools. Creating continuity with the new and the old as well as creating highly functioning learning environments that are inspiring to the entire school community, the project unifies the entire site and creates a new, welcoming façade to the west.
Expanding the junior high into a 5-8 facility, a 5th grade wing will be added to the junior high to accommodate growing enrollment, adding five highly functioning learning spaces and a new unit office. New lockers will be added to the 6th grade wing, which will also be the new home of the enhanced junior high weight room.
A 600-seat multi-use theater, new band and choral areas, and a 79,700 square-foot new field house will be added to meet the growing need for the district’s fine arts and athletics programs. Athletic field light replacements and the addition of a press box and 1,000-seat grandstand to the existing football field and track will upgrade outdated and insufficient facilities. Increased science and STEM labs in the high school will increase innovative, hands-on learning. Current fine arts and dining areas will be revitalized as a new weight room and competitive gym space. A new kitchen and commons area on the first floor will allow for flexible seating and dining. Also, the clear and logical circulation pattern set up by the design provides for improved wayfinding, clear security, and welcoming entrances.
Increasing demand for fine arts and athletics programs left the district to face growth issues with their current facilities.
While the new design unified the entire site, which improved wayfinding and clear security, the district received the necessary expanded science and STEM labs, a large field house, and a multi-use theater.
- New Field House
- 600 Seat Multi-use Theater
- New STEM labs
Cerro Gordo CUSD #100 was facing outdated facilities, overcrowding, and needed some serious security updates. To solve these problems, this district was renovated to include a connecting addition to the original 1929 three-story HS building and the 1963 cafeteria/gymnasium building.
Since the classes, labs, and greenhouse spaces were scattered throughout the campus, there were no central offices, classrooms designed for other disciplines, or collaborative spaces for students. This made sharing ideas, materials, and information difficult.
This renovation and new addition project turned into an opportunity to not only unify an outdated and disconnected school building, but also bring unification to a student body and community.