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The new Freshman Academy is designed to create a school-within-a-school easing the transition
of students into the high school environment. An addition is located at the south side of the existing
school and some additional space is renovated within the east end of the existing south wing. The
Freshman Academy addition with the renovation of the administrative wing of the school will
create a new front door and Welcome Center for Morton West. This along with a new drive and
visitors parking area will clarify where visitors enter the building and place those services that
parents need to access in proximity to the front door and Welcome Center. Student Support
Services are located at the north end of the administrative wing in proximity to the Cafeteria. A
separate Freshman Academy administrative function is also directly accessed from the new front
entry and Welcome Center.

The Freshman Academy will accommodate eight teams of students and teachers with three
classrooms and a science prep lab per team and two teams sharing a STEM Lab. The Freshman
Academy is created through a combination of an addition and renovation of space in the
eastern portion of the existing south wing. Eight teams are grouped around a Great Room with
a major stair/amphitheater serving as an assembly space and collaborative learning
environment. Flex Classrooms for specialties are arranged below a second floor satellite cafeteria
and at the top of the amphitheater. Each team also has breakout space within a widened
corridor for collaborative and project based learning activities.

A third component of the project, will convert the existing Library into a student centered multi-
media collaboration and production center or Knowledge Commons. This will expand the library
to encompass the entire second floor of an existing academic wing and create spaces that
support collaborative and project based learning – breakout areas, small group meeting rooms,
maker space, “genius bar”, and 35,000 volumes.

The project is scheduled for completion in August 2019.

New Main Entry View