A visit to Maple River Schools shows parents and community members what a single-site modern learning environment looks like.
On Monday, June 26 a bus once again left GFW full of community members, students, staff, and parents as a group of 25 set off to tour Maple River Schools in Mapleton. After seeing a variety of larger schools and getting ideas of what modern educational spaces can look like, the group was able to experience a new facility that serves all students in a district that serves multiple communities.
The facility just wrapped up its first year of use, opening in 2022 and has spaces that are used by community members and local organizations. Director of Student and Community Programs Tonia Schiro saw the excitement as people saw the PreK-12 concept in action.
“It felt so right and like it would absolutely work for GFW,” said Schiro. “Having everyone in one location is so doable for us and really felt good to walk through from the early grades through the high school wing. We were there in the late afternoon and there were teams and groups using the space and it seemed like there was never a dull moment there, which is exactly what we want as we transition to a Full Service Community Schools model.”
The tour was led by Maple River superintendent Dan Anderson and his high school aged daughter who provided a unique perspective about the facility. He shared that during his time in the district, there was a trend of declining enrollment but that there has been an increase of 100-150 students since the building process began. In addition to touring the classroom spaces and observing the entrances for each school and bus drop-off area, the group got to see the auditorium, band, and music spaces which included dressing rooms, makeup rooms, built in instrument storage, spaces for lessons, and a dedicated music room for elementary students.
“The Maple River school tour opened our eyes to what a new PreK-12 school in our community might look like,” said community member and parent Kelly Lutgen. “We are excited to take our community's thoughts, ideas and concerns, and incorporate them into the school design.”
The group toured for more than an hour and then gathered in a classroom space to work on an activity led by Wold Architects to discuss priorities. Splitting into small groups, participants were given puzzle pieces labeled with spaces to add to a new school including gyms, cafeteria, grade-level classrooms, special education, T-Bird Club, and more. Each group put together their own puzzle and then discussed items they had in common.
“It was eye opening to try to put puzzle pieces together for the new school and to see everything that needs to fit into the space,” said former board member and parent Marisa Lee. “It’s been amazing to see community members, businesses and teachers come together to make the best possible recommendations on the new school for our kids. I can tell that Wold Architects actually cares and wants our input on what we feel is best for the kids and the community.”
Some of the items discussed by the group included the focus on safety and security, natural lighting and having colors and textures throughout the building to make it feel welcoming instead of institutional, and having an open and inviting entry. Another priority was creating spaces for special education instruction closer to general education options to increase collaboration and inclusion of all students.
“Visiting Maple River was exactly what I needed to see,” said parent and community member Sandy Kley. “I loved the way the school was designed and feel that it is a good inspiration to help us design the best school possible for GFW!”
The Site Team will continue to work with Wold Architects throughout the design process with more opportunities coming to participate in the process.