High School Addition Ready For Debut

     While students enjoy the last few weeks of summer break, work crews and school staff have been hard at work preparing the new addition at Grain Valley High School (GVHS) for its debut this August.
     Valley News recently toured the new space with GVHS Principal Dr. Jeremy Plowman.
     A new office at the entrance on the north side of the building will welcome parents and visitors. Students will continue to enter and exit the building from the school’s prior front entrance. The office space provides needed space for professional development and staff meetings, as well as comfortable spaces for parents and students to meet with administrators and staff.
     A new library is five times larger than the school’s previous library, and includes a maker space, multiple use glass encased cubicles for tutoring or small group projects, and space for at least three full classrooms to utilize the area. All bookshelves, seating, and charging stations are moveable, allowing the space to be configured in a number of ways.
     The addition also includes a community meeting room with a separate entrance. The room will be used for Board of Education meetings, community use, and student testing.
    “We previously had to do all of our AP testing off-site at Blue River Community College. 1 was sending 100 kids back and forth on buses and adding 45 minutes to the test by having to go there. Now, we can test most of our kids here,” Plowman said.
     The most striking addition to the school is “The Valley”, a large enclosed outdoor courtyard that includes green space and an amphitheater. Seating for approximately 100 will allow students to enjoy lunch outside.
     A new health clinic has separate well and sick areas. An expanded counseling office allows for more privacy, and space for students to utilize technology to apply for college and scholarships.
     Administrators and staff worked with architects over the course of several months to develop the space.
     “When you have kids who are upset and waiting to see the counselor, it’s important to have a space for them to have some privacy, rather than make them sit out in the main area in plain view of everyone who walks by. We were intentional in designing the space, and it is going to work so well for our students,” Plowman said.
     The addition also includes new classrooms for business and marketing and an area for a school store.
     “Our first couple of additions were pretty pragmatic. We needed lots of classrooms or we needed to build a new wood shop. We need science classrooms specifically for Project Lead the Way. We needed to build things for academic purposes,” Plowman said.
     Plowman emphasized that new offices for administrators were never at top of his list of priorities. However, he has seen the pride former students and community members have shown when touring the space.
     “The kids that we’ve had through here have been excited. Every parent who comes in, every adult and business, will come through these doors and will see this office, our library, the courtyard, and will understand the pride we have in our school.”
 

A new office space will greet parents and visitors at the north entrance of Grain Valley High School. The office suite includes an expanded counseling center, health clinic with well and sick areas, and improved meeting spaces for administration to meet with parents and students.  Just outside of the office is The Valley, an enclosed courtyard that includes green space, an amphitheater, and areas for students to enjoy lunch outdoors. Photo credit: Valley News staff

A new community room, with a separate entrance, will be used for Board of Education meetings, community meetings, and testing for students.
See additional photos of the addition at www.grainvalleynews.com.                 
Photo credit: Valley News staff

Entry in the new Counseling Center at Grain Valley High School.
​Photo credit: Valley News staff

The Maker Space inside the new library at GVHS. The illuminated sign states "Experiment. Fail. Learn. Repeat.". 
Photo credit: Valley News staff

The Valley, an outdoor enclosed courtyard (under construction while this photo was taken), will include an ampitheatre, green space, and area for approximately 100 students to eat lunch outdoors. Photo credit: Valley News staff