Through its BOLD Facilities Plan, Decatur Public Schools worked to create 21st-century learning environments. Johns Hill Magnet School, a K-8 facility, features a 750-seat auditorium, 672-seat gym, Art Alley, Learning Stair, and STEAM Suite for grades 6-8. The school's focus on arts integration and English-Language learner curricula further enhances the student experience.
Photos: O'Shea Builders
- K-8 school
- 750 seat auditorium
- 672 seat gymnasium
- Art alley
- Learning stair
- STEAM suite for 6-8
The team had to create spaces that would spark K-8 students' creativity, despite a tight budget and growing enrollment.
A cutting-edge, arts-focused facility on our existing site, designed to inspire generations of students to discover, nurture, and share their talents and cultural expression with the world.
Student-artists display their masterpieces in the open, accessible gallery for the community, bringing arts directly to the revitalized neighborhood. The alley also serves as an innovative and secure second-floor entry point for staff and the community, helping the flow of traffic for multiple events happening simultaneously.
A competition gym addition, with secure entry and office suite, increases health and wellness opportunities for students and staff, while addressing the district-wide space shortage for student activities. The addition serves as a new front door for visitors, creating a positive first impression for Heyworth CUSD #4.
The district had two separate schools that served their small, rural student population. Both campuses needed extensive updates and lacked 21st century spaces. The new, smaller single campus school serves the district within a tighter footprint with increased 21st century program space.
Through renovations and an addition to a 1950s-era building on a tight city footprint, an engaging, innovative and inviting high school, focused on providing modern facilities to support digital learning, academic achievement and fine arts and athletic excellence was developed. While the student population was highly achieving, the existing school did not reflect the student merit.