While students and some teachers are on summer break, the Killeen Independent School District is working to bring a new experience to students when they return in August.
When those students come back, some will be the first to step foot in two new campuses.
The first school is Alice Douse Elementary, which is a 65 classroom school, that will be the 34th elementary school in the district.
The second school is Roy J. Smith Middle School which is a 70 classroom school. This addition will be the 13th middle school in the district.
Each of the schools have been designed with the latest technology to promote an evolving learning environment. School officials said the sustainable architecture includes passive solar designs, that will save the district money and it's projected to last with low maintenance over the next few decades. Executive Director for Facility Services Kenneth Crawford said these new designs are extremely important for student’s success.
" This is great not only to have the facility but to continue to push the edge of what our facilities do for our kids, for our teachers, and the community. Taking our blinders off and these aren’t just a box of classrooms, it is a functional facility that meets the needs of the community as a whole,” Crawford said.
Crawford said part of this new creation was to relieve the pressure of some of the other schools in the district. Considering last semester there was at least one campus that was almost doubled in the size of their student population. He also said they designed the schools with additional wiring to promote the growth of future technology. This will ensure the best learning opportunity not only for next semesters students but students who migrate to the district for years to come.
" Each grade has its own little learning breakout center that’s enclosed in the glass. Kids can write on the wall, they can write on the glass, its integrated technology inside those rooms so they can have like small groups,” Crawford said.
Although there is still work that needs to be done Crawford says the furniture should be delivered to both schools within the next month, just in time for the new semester at the end of Aug.
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