Completing Our Campus

An Update on Our Progress

In late 2019, Head of School Kirk Wheeler donned a hard hat, climbed into an excavator, and lowered the bucket, officially breaking ground on Phase II of the Completing Our Campus project. The ceremony, which included the entire student body, faculty, parents, and members of the board of trustees, kicked off construction of an 18,500-squarefoot building that will house a gymnasium, locker rooms, a performing arts space and classroom, and a rooftop playfield.

Despite a short work stoppage due to COVID-19 restrictions, the building is near completion with an anticipated opening date in late February.

Moving physical education classes to the new gym enables the School to transform the current gymnasium space into the Center for Leadership and Innovation and the Center for Responsive Learning in Phase III.

The Center for Leadership & Innovation (CLI) is dedicated to bringing unique programming to educators and students, to provide consulting services both internally and externally, and to curate resources that deepen learning experiences. By the late fall of 2021, the CLI will open the doors of the Learning Commons and Learning Laboratory in the renovated space. The School’s existing technology lab will co-locate with the CLI, creating a synergistic offering for all learners.

The CLI will provide flexible spaces to accommodate large and small groups, adaptable and equipped for collaboration and innovation, as well as modern technology to support research and presentation preparation.

Through its facilitation of shared assessment and organization of shared study, the Center for Responsive Learning (CRL), formerly known as the Center for Personalized Learning, leads the School in its understanding and response to the unique learning profile of each student. One essential aspect of supporting students is the availability of flexible spaces for large groups, small groups, and individual work. While classrooms have the ability to address personalized learning, the new center will create options for privacy, tutoring, specialized equipment, and quiet areas for teachers and students. In addition, the CRL will address much-needed permanent spaces for the School’s growing faculty and staff.

Head of School Kirk Wheeler breaks ground on the Athletics and Performing Arts Center.

The number of students has also grown as the School exceeded enrollment forecasts for the past several years. As the student body increased, so did the need for additional, specialized classroom space. Recognizing the urgency, the board of trustees voted to accelerate part of Phase III which would provide new space for 4th Grade. Consisting of two classrooms with a flexible common space in between, this layout allows students the small classroom size that has proven to provide a higher quality education for children, with the ability to expand the learning space to accommodate larger 4th Grade events. The classrooms opened this past September.

For more information on how to support the Completing Our Campus Capital Campaign, please contact Leila Thomas, director of development, at leila.thomas@stthomasschool.org.