The Grand Rapids (Michigan) district has unveiled design plans for a $38 million elementary school.
The Grand Rapids Press reports that construction of the as yet unamed school will start later this year on the site of what is now Aberdeen Academy. It is expected to open in time for the 2027-28 school year.
The new school will house pre-kindergarten through fifth grade students from Aberdeen and Palmer Elementary. Both schools are scheduled to close in 2027 because of high maintenance costs and low enrollment. Aberdeen Academy will be demolished.
The new building's design gives a nod to the site's history as Aberdeen Academy; tiles from the original structure will be included in a proposed historical dedication wall and an avian theme to represent the school's "soaring red hawk" mascot.
The school will have 20 classrooms, with three rooms per grade level and two for pre-K, along with five special education spaces, music and art classrooms and a media center.
The upper level of the building would include a reception/administrative area and special education offices, along with classrooms for third, fourth and fifth grade.
The lower level would have pre-K through second-grade classrooms, an open-concept media center and community space, the gymnasium, a music room, an art room and the cafeteria.
The architects are Wightman and Associates and DLR Group.
