After several months of construction, the new high school is expected to be completely enclosed in about four weeks. “Iowa winters are not always kind,” principal Ryan Woods said. “If they get it enclosed, that will allow them to do a lot of indoor stuff during the winter months. When spring comes, they can go finish up the pieces on the outside.” In addition to enclosing the school, they are working on seeding and irrigation installation, structural steel detailing, exterior window installation and sidewalk installation.

In the next several months, construction is going to be rapid. “From here on out, every two weeks, we’ll see dramatic change,” superintendent Corey Lunn said. The construction will include mostly indoor additions because of the winter cold. They will mainly be working on plumbing and wiring, setting up Internet, finishing the auditorium and getting walls up in classrooms. The school will also have its own football stadium with a turf field.

Lunn and Woods visited an Ed Spaces furniture conference to explore options for furniture that will emphasize student learning and leading. They asked students and teachers for creative, open-minded feedback as well. Much of the furniture in the new building will likely be multifunctional, such as tables with whiteboard tops that flip sideways so students can present work to the class. This would likely go in a math or science classroom. Lunn explained that a goal of theirs is to create variety between the setup and furniture in the different types of classes for the best student learning and enjoyment possible. “When you walk in a classroom, it should be evident of the learning you want to have happen,” Lunn said.

Administration is incredibly excited about the change. “It is going to be a fantastic environment with tons of school color,” Lunn said. “It’s going to be a place that people are going to want to come and see, visit and talk about, without a doubt.”

The school is expected to be finished in the spring of 2017, allowing the teachers the summer to get familiar with the new environment and school will start there in the fall.