On a sunny December day, construction officially began for the new Jarrett Middle School.
Jarrett students, staff and community members came together to celebrate the beginning of an extensive construction process. When complete in August 2022, the building will serve up to 725 students grades 6-8 in a 130,000 square foot building.
“Over the next two years, this location will be transformed into the new Jarrett Middle School campus,” said Superintendent John Jungmann. “Previously located on a small site surrounded by the MSU campus and student housing, Jarrett students and staff will now have extensive greenspace for outdoor activities and extracurricular programs, along with modern, flexible learning spaces.”
The new Jarrett Middle School campus was previously home to Portland Elementary School. At the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year, Portland Panthers transitioned to a new home: a newly renovated and expanded Sunshine Elementary School.
Two current Jarrett students participated in the groundbreaking ceremony, sharing with the crowd their excitement for a school they’ll attend as eighth-graders. For Jeremy Jefferson, he can’t wait for the new basketball court. For Bailey, she’s excited to learn in a new space and see the teachers she has now in her school.
The new building will be designed to support STEAM mastery, with an emphasis on innovative spaces for science, technology, engineering, arts and math. This curriculum focus will drive the new learning opportunities for Jarrett students, said Dr. Kirk Slater, Jarrett principal.
“We’re in the middle of the application process for this school, this building, to be a STEAM school,” said Dr. Slater. “So I’m excited about the potential of being able to serve so many kids in so many unique ways in a STEAM environment.”
In addition to better supporting students’ learning, the new Jarrett Middle School will be more accessible to students and families of all abilities, provide a safe room gymnasium and expand space for outside extracurricular programming.