Category: Elementary Schools

Students in Goodman, Mo will start the year off in a brand new building after an April 2017 tornado destroyed the only school in Goodman, Missouri.

The residents of Goodman came together to rebuild their community as a collective group of family, friends, and neighbors. Similarly, the design enables students to learn in a school that feels like a community: classrooms are approached through an open and collaborative space, rather than a typical corridor. Visibility within the classrooms is not only to the exterior but also to the shared spaces in the core of the building. The ceilings of these core collaborative spaces are taller, a different material, and have altered proportions from those of a typical classroom. All of these changes will remind students that even though they may be in a classroom with just 20 others students, there is a much larger space just outside the door: one shared by all students; one that can function as a special classroom, one that can inspire students to really embrace their community and their fellow students.

The Neosho School Board approved the designs for the new Goodman Elementary and is expected to open summer of 2019.

On the evening of Tuesday, April 4th, 2017, a tornado destroyed a majority of the only school in Goodman, Missouri. After losing homes, businesses, and their Elementary School, the town’s roughly 1,200 residents in McDonald County were ready to rebuild. Sapp Design was selected to help Goodman get its elementary school back after providing the district with the Neosho Jr. High School just one year previous.

The old elementary school lacked the appropriate amount of classroom space, having to resort to mobile trailers, and sat dangerously close to the railroad tracks to the south. The new school, around 45,000 ft2, will not only have enough general classroom space for all 400 students (existing and future) but will also have areas for collaborative teaching and learning spaces accessible to everyone. The second phase of this project will include a FEMA safe room purposed as a gymnasium.

The residents of Goodman have come together to rebuild their community as a collective group of family, friends, and neighbors. Similarly, the design enables students to learn in a school that feels like a community: classrooms are approached through an open and collaborative space, rather than a typical corridor. Visibility within the classrooms is not only to the exterior but also to the shared areas in the core of the building. The ceilings of these core collaborative spaces are taller, a different material, and have altered proportions from those of a typical classroom. All of these changes will remind students that even though they may be in a classroom with just 20 others students, there is a much larger space just outside the door: one shared by all students; one that can function as a special classroom, one that can inspire students to really embrace their community and their fellow students.

Today marks  the anniversary of the May 22nd tornado that struck Joplin MO.  In memory of that day Joplin School broke ground on 3 new schools one being Irving Elementary which the SDA Team has had the privilege to be a part of as the Architects. This  new exciting school building will be approximately 85,000 sq. ft., primarily on one level, with the south classroom wing being two stories “split-level”.  The building is designed for up to 600 students, K-5. The north classroom wing or “learning center” will house the Kindergarten and First Grade, and will be one story.

The building will have a modern technology infrastructure, designed for future flexibility, and will have state of the art security and access control.The building and grounds will also be designed for good supervision, and to minimize vandalism and security problems.   It is also designed for community use of gyms, meeting rooms, and use of the grounds for public functions and various school events.  The new school is designed to be flexible and adaptable to meet modern and future educational and community needs.

This campus, first constructed in the 1960’s, was comprised of nine separate buildings, creating significant challenges in circulation, security, and school administration. The new design incorporates almost 63,000 s.f. of additions, including a Commons Area, Administration Suite, and three Classroom Wings, as well as over 28,000 s.f. of major renovations, to combine four of the existing buildings into one unified school building. The former Gymnasium has been renovated into a new Library. A new FEMA 361 Safe Room is in process through the FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. This space functions as the new multi-purpose Gymnasium and will safeguard students, staff, and the surrounding residential community in the event of high-wind storms.

The new plan addresses improved energy efficiency, security, circulation and accessibility. Redesign of the campus site circulation creates a new Main Entrance and separates bus traffic from parent drop-off and service traffic, creating safer, more efficient site circulation.