Fulton County Schools invites parents and community members to a special October 12 meeting to view conceptual building and site plans for the new STEM-focused (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) high school campus set for North Fulton.
Anticipated to open in Fall 2020, the school will have college and career-focused curriculum pathways in a newly constructed, 244,000-square-foot school on the former Milton High School campus near downtown Alpharetta. The October 12 community meeting will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Milton Center, located at 86 School Drive in Alpharetta.
The conceptual plans were approved by the school board in August, showing an organization of three wings for the programs of Healthcare Sciences, Engineering, and Information Technology. Healthcare Sciences and Information Technology spaces flank the main entry while an Engineering wing allows for larger laboratories to have direct access to an outdoor classroom space as well as acoustical separation from the rest of the building.
Each of the three program spaces are situated around a “touchdown space” that creates a high energy environment to “see and be seen” in the act of learning. Ground floor spaces include the career and counseling center, food court, administration areas, and active learning classrooms. The cafeteria, on the first floor, and media center, spread across three floors, are housed in a combined touchdown space that increases space utilization, flexibility and collaboration in a 21st Century learning environment.
The school has safety elements in place such as clear visitor/student drop-off areas, student parking, and a dedicated bus lane. It also reflects the community’s desire to have access to the facility by providing a separate auditorium building for after-hours and weekend events and by retaining the former school’s existing athletic fields. While the school’s interior will reflect a more modern design, the exterior structure will reflect a more traditional appearance.
The innovative design is the result of many months of engagement with district and school leaders, parents, business and community members, and partners in higher education. Beginning in January 2017, Fulton County Schools worked with Cooper Carry, an architectural firm, and Cooperative Strategies, a national programming consultant, to develop a preliminary floor plan that reflects the baseline academic program. Visioning workshops, community meetings, and site visits were held with STEM programs in K-12 schools and at colleges and universities. At the visioning workshops, district staff engaged principals, teachers, students, district leadership, and business partners for input on the proposed programs.
The high school also is a collaborative effort between Fulton County Schools and the business community to build programs that are aligned to student interest and workforce needs. The programs will provide students with the necessary tools and resources to make informed decisions about their paths of choice. Students who attend the school will have the opportunity to connect and work within local Atlanta businesses and industries as interns or observers.
STEM is one of the fast-growing academic fields in the world and accounts for many of the new jobs being created in the workforce. It’s estimated by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics that jobs related to STEM will grow by more than 9 million nationwide by 2022.
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