As the sun sets on Midvalley Elementary’s 60th year, a new dawn arises for the Junior Huskies.

Built in 1957 when a piece of candy cost .5 cents, frisbees were all the rage, and most of the area surrounding the school was farmland, Midvalley now serves a diverse and growing suburban population, and is in need of an upgrade–which it will soon be getting when it’s rebuilt with proceeds from a $283 million, voter-approved bond.

No time is being wasted on the project, the first of four elementary schools to be constructed with the bond funds. NJRA Architects have been busy designing the new, two-story school with input from teachers, students, and patrons. Families and neighboring homeowners were invited to preview the preliminary plans this past week. 

The architects intend to use a similar design to that deployed in other communities, which saves taxpayer funds. The plans include large skylights that allow for natural light to reach all floors, technologically-equipped classrooms, a brightly-colored kindergarten playground, and a faculty lounge that opens onto an outdoor courtyard. 

Safety is a big factor in the design and great care will be taken to situate the building in such a way as to provide administrators with a clear view of entrances and exits while also making it easy for emergency responders to access the campus. The new school will have a security vestibule that will require all visitors to be seen by school staff before they enter the building. In addition, the building will be equipped with state-of-the-art mechanical and electrical systems and voice amplification equipment for teachers in the classroom.

The building will be built on the southeastern edge of the campus so as to minimize disruptions for students and allow them to stay in the existing school building during construction.

Crews are anticipated to break ground this coming spring, and the projects is expected to be completed in time for the 2020-2021 school year.

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