Congratulations, Bismarck Public Schools

 

 

Welcome Home, Legacy High School Students

Legacy High School opens to a crowd 

BISMARCK, N.D. – After 40 years, Bismarck Public Schools today officially opened a new high school. More than 3,000 people attended the Legacy ribbon cutting and open house at 3400 Calgary Avenue in NE Bismarck. Classes start Thursday.

Bismarck Superintendent of Schools Tamara Uselman said “welcome home” to the Legacy students, parents and staff.  LHS Principal Tom Schmidt followed up by thanking them for being so flexible during the two years when Legacy was housed at the Career Academy and the Hughes Educational Center.

Tours of the school, led by LHS students, were solidly busy from 4:30-6:30 pm. School district Business and Operations Manager Darin Scherr says Legacy was built for $73 less per square foot than the national average to construct a new high school. The building is 289,000 square feet on about 65 acres, which includes a school district and community athletic field. Scherr is most proud of the fact that LHS is energy efficient and tech ready, with lots of natural light and safety features.

Here are some other “fast facts: about the new $55.5 million high school:

  • Administration: principal and asst. principal offices distributed throughout the school for improved supervision and assistance.
  • Flexible Schedule: longer classes for lectures/labs; shorter for tutoring, etc. with no bells. Similar to a college or work schedule.
  • 1-to-1 Technology: many classes will have a computer for each student to use while in class; students will have fewer textbooks and lockers.
  • Classrooms: some rooms will have garage doors to open up for collaboration with other classes. Non-lab teachers will move to different classrooms during the day with a rolling lectern, computer, and other teaching materials for flexible scheduling. Teachers will have a lounge with a desk and locker to store necessities. Labs: lab classes will have windows for passersby to see teaching and learning taking place, similar to the Career Academy.
  • Work Stations: each floor has a glassed-in station for small group projects/meetings
  • Presentation Stairs: there are 2 large staircases which will double as seating for students or guest speakers to make presentations to groups.
  • Furniture: casework and book shelves will be movable; seating will allow for flexible groupings and more student interaction in classrooms and the Commons.
  • Learning Commons: this area near the main gym seats 494 people during school or after school events. It’s also located near the counseling/career center and above the library. A variety of tables promotes interaction and face-to-face conversation.
  • Counseling/Career Center: with no offices, counselors will be readily available so students can stop by and ask questions, or do career interest inventories, research colleges, or apply for scholarships on computers. Each floor also has a tutoring area staffed throughout the day; teachers will be in those areas during their tutoring period instead of in a classroom.
  • Kitchen: the kitchen is in the back with warming stations between the kitchen and serving area. Students will enter through the middle doors, get a beverage, and choose 1 of 6 food stations, then exit through 2 side doors for efficient traffic flow.
  • Library: the library is called the Learning Commons. It’s located above the Marketplace for student/staff convenience. It hosts a Makerspace where students can create and tinker using both new and more traditional technologies. Materials, including e-Books and other electronic resources, will be available in the Learning Commons and can be dispersed as needed throughout LHS where students are working.
  • Phy. Ed. & Athletic Spaces: gyms, weight room, treadmills and other equipment will be used for P.E. for a focus on youth fitness. Large gym has 3 courts and 1,750 seats (similar to CHS Olson Gym at 1,500) and a 4-lane running track above for P.E. and community use that seats 270. Auxiliary gym has 2 courts and seats 750 (CHS, 500).
  • Fine Arts & Performance Spaces: first orchestra room in the district; music rooms also have small soundproof practice areas. Auditorium seats 600 chairs (similar to CHS 420 seating capacity); orchestra pit can be covered to see 50 more on the floor. Behind the stage are dressing rooms and a prep area for set building. There is also a smaller “black box” theatre adjacent to the auditorium.
  • Outdoor Facilities: the outdoor courtyard is for student and visitor use, as is the field complex, which includes football and soccer fields (Oct. 2015), an 8-lane track (2016), baseball and softball fields (later), grandstands, and concessions area. Each sport has 2 fields, 1 turf and 1 natural. The district is seeking community partnerships and naming opportunities for the sports complex.

About Bismarck Public Schools: We educate more than 12,000 students at 17 elementary schools, 3 middle schools, 4 high schools, 2 career and technical facilities, and a preschool services center. Mission: Ensure all students learn. Vision: All students will graduate prepared for post-secondary education and the workplace.