Texas School District Welcomes New Elementary School
By SCN Staff
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas— On Aug. 15, Sheldon Independent School District (ISD) celebrated the completion of its newest elementary school, Sheldon Lake Elementary School. A ribbon cutting ceremony took place at 6 p.m. at the school’s visitor parking lot.
Sheldon Lake Elementary will open to students and staff members on the first day of school on Aug. 26. Designed by Stantec and constructed by Durotech, the school is the flagship campus for Sheldon ISD’s Compass Schools program. Designed with a strong emphasis on Performing and Visual Arts, the school offers special instruction spaces and programs to attract a diverse student population throughout the school district.
The approximately 88,000-square-foot-facility, which can accommodate more than 700 students, includes a black box theater that converts from classroom to performance space, an art studio, music studio, dance studio and design studio. Each of these spaces are designed in a way that celebrates the activities that will take place inside. The spaces also serve as landmarks, helping to orient students as they move through the school.
Sheldon ISD is considered one of the fastest-growing school districts in the Houston area. In May 2016, Sheldon ISD voters overwhelmingly passed a $285 million bond to address student growth, safety and security measures and other potential facility upgrades. This bond program is the largest in the district’s history.
“The new elementary school is aesthetically appealing and offers unique instructional opportunities for Sheldon ISD students,” said JP Grom, AIA, vice president at Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, Inc. (LAN), the firm serving as the program manager for the bond program.
Next week, the district will also celebrate the completion of the new 10,000-seat Panther Stadium. The new football stadium, which has no track, will place fans much closer to the action, according to the district. The district will celebrate a ribbon cutting ceremony on Aug. 21 at 6 p.m. at the stadium’s adjacent parking lt. This will be followed by a “Meet the Panthers Night” where the community will get a chance to see inside the stadium.
Other elements of the bond program include a new 560,000-square-foot C.E. King High School that will open in January 2020, new track, baseball and softball fields, and tennis courts. The bond program also includes additions and renovations to existing middle schools as well as district-wide energy management upgrades.
LAN is a full-service consulting firm offering planning, engineering and program management services for the nation’s heavy civil infrastructure needs. With more than 350 employees across the United States, LAN is a national leader in the engineering industry and is consistently ranked among the “Top 100 A/E Firms” according to Engineering News-Record. LAN is a LEO A DALY company, an international architecture and engineering firm.