A new and futuristic 9th grade campus will be opening its doors at Flower Mound High School in August of 2014, and is projected to be the home of 800 incoming freshmen.
The two-story building will include docking stations for student technology, study lounges, a school store, and adaptable classrooms with foldable walls so that teachers can join two classrooms together. The outside hallways will include modern seating and ‘study cubes’ enabling students to work in and out of the classroom.
“The freshmen campus is going to be created with an academic wing and will also include a library and cafeteria, which are going to be connected into a big circle,” Lead Counselor Phyllis Hamilton said.
This indicates that the cafeteria is going to incorporate parts of the library, and will include more docking stations for electronics as well as removable bookshelves.
Building designers have also decided to implement natural lighting instead of fluorescent lighting, in hopes of a more environmentally friendly campus.
“Also, the new lighting won’t cause as much strain on your eyes, making for a more comfortable school experience,” Assistant Principal Jan Murphy said.
The new campus is not the only thing that will be constructed. A new basketball arena is planned to replace the old softball fields, which will allow FMHS to host national band competitions.
“We would like to host national completions here at FMHS, but we are currently unable to do so due to space constraints,” said Murphy. “However, with the new arena, we will finally be able to host these competitions.”
In addition to hosting national competitions, FMHS will also be able to hold a single pep rally for all students, instead of having to split them up.
“After all, what’s the point of having a pep rally if you can’t get everyone pumped up?” Murphy said.
A brand new sports complex will be built across the street. This complex will include a baseball field, a softball field, and several tennis courts. The current tennis courts and baseball field will be demolished in order to make room for the incoming 9th grade campus.
The campus itself is being designed by PBK, an architectural firm that won the ‘Classroom of the Future’ contest hosted by the Lewisville Independent School District. The overall construction costs are expected to be well over $50 million. This amount will cover the cost of building the entire 9th grade campus, extra parking, basketball arena and new sports complex.
Construction is scheduled to begin sometime in May of 2013, soon after the end of the baseball and softball seasons.
