Harrisburg offers first look at new schools ready to open

The Harrisburg School District is days away from opening two new schools: an additional middle school and its first freshman academy.

Located at 85th Street and Cliff Avenue, the academy is designed for all the district’s ninth graders initially, with the ability to grow into its second high school once capacity demands it.

Both the academy and the new Harrisburg East Middle School near 69th Street and Southeastern Avenue will open Aug. 24 in time for the first day of school.

Freshman Academy preview

An estimated 480 freshmen will start their high school experience at Harrisburg’s new academy.

The building itself is ready for hundreds more students eventually.

“We’re building a freshman academy now, but (it will become) a fully operational 9-12 campus,” Superintendent Tim Graf said.

“It’s a neat design to get to do this. That’s why when you’re standing here this space looks massive, and for 480 students, it is. But it’s being built for 1,800 students someday.”

The new facility has 40 classrooms and 40 teachers and will have more freshmen than the current high school’s entire student population had when it opened in 2009.

The 71-acre campus includes a 1.5-mile walking loop, 3 acres of native prairie and 3,000 trees and shrubs.

It’s a $36 million project, not including the land acquisition or plans for two more wings to accommodate a full high school student body.

The model for the academy came from West Fargo, North Dakota, which also opened an academy first and then transitioned it to a full high school. Features include:

• Track and football fields with multiple practice fields.
• Weight room.
• Industrial arts and lab classroom.
• Black box theater with a capacity for 260 people.

The activities, course offerings, curriculum and Class AA activities affiliation will remain the same as Harrisburg High School.

“I’m looking forward to what the future holds and opening this building,” said Kay Bass, high school assistant principal for 10th through 12th grades. “The Freshman Academy is a beautiful facility. And I’m excited to see what this looks like for the future of Harrisburg as we continue to grow.” 

Bass said the district plans to do some teacher meetings and in-service gatherings in the new building so the staff can still connect with one another.

“That will be one of the biggest challenges for our staff since we’ve always been together,” Bass said.

Creating connections

Classes at the Freshman Academy are designed not to exceed 25 students per teacher, unless it’s music or art, said Brad Seamer, assistant principal at the school.

“That allows for personal connections with their teachers and better support.”

There are tutors designated to center around subjects such as English and math.

“We’re hoping this will be a better transition going into high school (for our freshmen). We’re not doing houses/teams, but we have other supports put in place,” Seamer said.  

The campus also is designed to integrated with nature in the hope of creating community space, Seamer said.

“We have a nature trail walk with natural grasses. There’s wetlands, and there’s a pond,” he said, gesturing out a window toward the football field. “The geese have been hanging out.”

East Middle School

Not too far down the road from the academy awaits the new East Middle School, which has 415 students enrolled, with 35 teachers and 20 support staff.

With 45 classrooms and a performing arts center with a capacity of 500 people, the new middle school has gathered students from both the South and North middle schools plus new students from all over the area.

“We’re excited to build our culture together and start seeing who we’re going to be,” said Micah Fesler, East Middle School principal.

With construction finishing so close to the start date, Aug. 24, the staff only recently gathered in the building for a meeting.

“We have orientation and back-to-school conferences on Aug. 21. Teachers get to come set up classrooms on Aug. 17,” said Amanda Olinger, East Middle School assistant principal.

The building is modeled after the North Middle School location but with some updates after input from staff.

“They made some minor changes to spaces that made more room for office space, room for our tutors and new spaces we can take kids to do different activities in,” Olinger said, adding that one of her favorite spaces is the mini stage area in the intersection between the wings.

The district has also structured how traveling teachers work at its schools, having elective teachers change buildings by semester rather than splitting their days between schools.

Harrisburg middle schoolers have the freedom to select their electives, Olinger said.

“We’re bringing back an old tried-and-true course — music enrichment — and we’re excited for that,” she said.

East Middle School has developed updated classroom spaces that will help elevate some of the more hands-on elective offerings, such as app creators, and metal and woodworking STEM-based courses.

“If you have a good team of teachers, you could put a box of rocks in front of the kids with those teachers, who know how to build relationships, then you’re set,” Fesler said.

There’s also a food lab, robotic classes, 3D printing, design and modeling classes.

East Middle School also has a life skills area/classroom equipped with practical tools such as a laundry machine, shower, stove and microwaves.

This classroom space is designed to engage with students with special needs in a more accessible way, Fesler said.

“It’s so exciting for things and the space to be new,” Olinger said. “We’re really excited about being able to take kids and staff from two different cultures and buildings, and create something awesome and special.”