Following a successful community engagement campaign resulting in a $40 million bond referendum to improve district facilities, Williamsville-Sherman School District moved forward to make significant and essential renovations and additions to both their junior high and high schools. Creating continuity with the new and the old as well as creating highly functioning learning environments that are inspiring to the entire school community, the project unifies the entire site and creates a new, welcoming façade to the west.
Expanding the junior high into a 5-8 facility, a 5th grade wing will be added to the junior high to accommodate growing enrollment, adding five highly functioning learning spaces and a new unit office. New lockers will be added to the 6th grade wing, which will also be the new home of the enhanced junior high weight room.
A 600-seat multi-use theater, new band and choral areas, and a 79,700 square-foot new field house will be added to meet the growing need for the district’s fine arts and athletics programs. Athletic field light replacements and the addition of a press box and 1,000-seat grandstand to the existing football field and track will upgrade outdated and insufficient facilities. Increased science and STEM labs in the high school will increase innovative, hands-on learning. Current fine arts and dining areas will be revitalized as a new weight room and competitive gym space. A new kitchen and commons area on the first floor will allow for flexible seating and dining. Also, the clear and logical circulation pattern set up by the design provides for improved wayfinding, clear security, and welcoming entrances.
- New Field House
- 600 Seat Multi-use Theater
- New STEM labs
Increasing demand for fine arts and athletics programs left the district to face growth issues with their current facilities.
While the new design unified the entire site, which improved wayfinding and clear security, the district received the necessary expanded science and STEM labs, a large field house, and a multi-use theater.
Despite facing significant obstacles, including a flood-prone location and limitations on modifying existing structures, the district persevered, eventually resulting in a groundbreaking new building addition that redefined the school’s entrance and functionality.
With an already thriving program, the planning of this facility and its location needed to be tightly knit into other district programs, such as athletics and general education. A key consideration was also the ability to expand program offerings in the future, through enlarged facilities and features which could include on-site gardens, crops or additional livestock support.
The Community Engagement Planning Process with Meridian CUSD #15 resulted in a clear direction, to reduce the number of campuses from four to two and concentrate resources to make these remaining two campuses healthy, safe, and educationally relevant.