GREENSBORO, N.C. — Throughout the past several months, we've seen a sneak peek of the first five brand-new schools going up in Guilford County.
Now, we are looking at the sixth, which is Kiser Middle School.
The original Kiser Middle School was built in 1957, and now, it's showing its age.
Eric Townsend said his daughter currently attends school at Kiser.
"Being through the older Kiser building, we can see that there's a real need to give students facilities that are state-of-the-art, up-to-date, safe, and healthy," Townsend said. "When you walk through the building, you can see that it's a building that has been past its better days. From the heating and HVAC systems to just sort of the overall feel of the place, It's not the kind of building at this point where we know that our kids can thrive."
While his daughter won't experience the new school, his son will.
"We know that we're not going to be dealing with questions about heating and air conditioning, we won't be dealing with potential mold or mildew issues, and certainly, knowing that he'll have brand new technology, which he'll be able to learn from, I mean that's really something," Townsend continued. "I like to say that our students deserve the best. Our children deserve the best. Our teachers deserve the best, and what the voters did a couple of years ago really demonstrated that we value education here in the community."
Voters approving that bond money is what created this brand-new Kiser Middle School.
It will have outdoor courtyards, STEM workshop labs, a media center, an amphitheater, and collaboration spaces.
Goode Van Slyke Architecture associate architect and project manager Jeff Morrison said it's all about connecting in this school.
"They really focused on the students' interconnectedness, thinking about how the students circulate through the school from one time of day to the next and how they interact with each other," Morrison said.
Morrison said this middle school is built more like a high school, allowing students to have independence in their learning environment.
A piece of that independence is where students will eat.
Morrison said there are studies about where bullying happens most often, and the cafeteria is one of those places.
This is what prompted the idea of distributive dining, where students can take their lunch to smaller gathering spaces.
"We always start a project asking the client or the district what their preferences are and what their standards are, and Guilford County was very clear about wanting new ideas and really wanting these schools to be a fresh start," Morrison said.
Morrison said his team met with Kiser alumni and decided there would be a prominent place by the front door to display the school's history.
It's an exciting time to see the design come to life.
"As designers, we have so many tools to visualize the building during design, but it still doesn't compare to seeing it all come together in person," Morrison said.
Townsend was a part of advocating for the bond referendum.
He said the fruits of his labor are paying off, and he is excited to see his son experience the new facility.
"It's like planting a fruit tree and when you put it in the ground, it's not gonna bear fruit right away, but after a couple of years it will and that's when you can really enjoy and take comfort in knowing that all the work that you put into nurturing that tree is really taking shape," Townsend said.
This school is expected to be completed by January 2024.