Rendering by SHW Group
As Alvin ISD continues to grow in enrollment, so does the need for additional facilities to support student growth and achievement. Community members recently voted to pass the November 2013 bond referendum in support of the District’s third high school, Shadow Creek High School.
After months of visioning, planning and design, the construction of Shadow Creek High School is now underway. Throughout the last year Alvin ISD staff and community members, along with architects from the SHW Group, have worked diligently to develop a design for the campus that will provide students with a unique learning environment, filled with unlimited opportunities.
A team of 70 individuals partnered with the District to develop a concept and brainstorm a design for the District’s third high school. “Considering that there are so many unknown factors about the future of our children we had to be open-minded and collaborative to determine how to secure their instructional future,” said Dr. Fred Brent, Alvin ISD superintendent of schools.
After taking in consideration that the District must meet the needs of 21st century learners, while fostering creativity and giving students opportunities to apply the skills that they learn, the design for Shadow Creek High School was developed.
“Shadow Creek High School is designed in a way that will allow students to pursue their passion, and learn at a deeper level. The entire concept of the campus was designed from the ground up based on the current and future needs of our students,” added Brent.
The campus, which is currently being built at the corner of Broadway and Kirby, across from the Dillard’s in the Pearland Town Center, will be a three story structure with the capacity to accommodate 2,500 students. The main entrance of the campus will be off of Broadway. There will be multiple parking lots to accommodate the number of students and staff, as well as visitors to the campus and the athletic venues. The athletic facilities will be strategically placed on the side of the campus, to minimize the impact of stadium lighting to the adjacent homes. The campus will include various learning spaces that allow for not only traditional learning in a closed classroom environment, but also independent and group learning opportunities in learning hubs and open spaces outside of the classroom.
“I think that kids will be excited about the non-traditional spaces included in Shadow Creek High School. They’ll have more opportunities to collaborate, and more opportunities to work together with their peers. There will also be lots of technology integrated into their instruction and their collaborative work,” said Alexander.
The District expects the design of Shadow Creek High School to lead to a learning platform where students are actually able to apply what they learn. The spaces that will be provided in the new campus are all designed around the instructional needs of the students, and will allow teachers to provide students with challenging instructional opportunities based on state standards in a way that provides real world, hands-on learning experiences.
“In the end, they will have learned the same standards that they would have in a traditional setting. However they will have learned it in a more profound way because they will have had an experience with the content, which allows the learning to be more meaningful for them,” said Michelle McEuen, Nolan Ryan Junior High teacher.
“The students of Shadow Creek High School are going to be blown away! They are going to love it, because it’s designed for them. I am convinced that Shadow Creek High School is designed from the ground up based on the learning needs of our students and what they will be in the future. It’s designed to secure the instructional future of Alvin ISD and the students of Shadow Creek High School for the next 3 or 4 decades,” Brent said.
The District’s third comprehensive high school is set to open for the 2016-2017 school year.
Details about a groundbreaking ceremony will be forthcoming. To take a tour of the facility, visit www.alvinisd.net/schs.
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