Dedication and open house is slated for Tuesday
Standard Press Staff
The general public will get its first chance to see inside Burlington’s new middle school during a dedication and open house on Tuesday, Oct. 12.
The event will begin with a brief dedication ceremony at 4 p.m. followed by the open house lasting until 6 p.m. Karcher Middle School, at 300 Wainwright Ave., opened last month to serve students in grades sixth through eight.
Burlington Area School District officials said the event is an opportunity to show gratitude to the many people who made this new school a reality, especially the members of the community who supported a facilities referendum in 2018.
The new school, by design, encourages students to use every space for learning, according to district officials. As an example, wider wing corridors provide room for students to collaborate on project-based learning. Also, the building design uses windows and natural light to make the inside feel more open.
The school was designed for a capacity of 700 students. At 142,394 square feet (40,000 fewer square feet than the former high school that previously served as the middle school), and with LED lighting and better insulation, the new middle school will be more energy efficient, according to the district.
Karcher is the first school in the district to be fully air-conditioned.
“(We invite) the community to see firsthand the state-of-the-art school,” Karcher Principal Nick Ryan said. “It improves upon what many of us experienced as students and, most importantly, provides a better environment to focus on learning.”
The original building budget for the middle school was $32.7 million. Because the building was completed on-time and under budget, the district had funds to relocate Project WIN, Community Education’s Star Stuff Theater program, and the district office.
The dedication ceremony happens nearly two years after the groundbreaking ceremony and three years after the community voted to support a $43.7 million referendum to build a middle school, and improve safety and security and fund renovations in district schools and buildings.
To read the entire story see the Oct. 7 edition of the Burlington Standard Press.
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