It’s been a long time in the making, and the wait is finally over! The new Tech High School just opened its doors to students, families and the community to continue its tradition of excellence. And enthusiasm is in the air!
Construction on the project officially began with the Groundbreaking Ceremony in August of 2017, but the process to build the new school started considerably earlier.
“Going all the way back to 2014,” explains David Leapaldt, IIW Minnesota architect for the project, “it started with the interview process of the project.”
Once the school board decided to move forward with a referendum for a new or renovated Tech, IIW Minnesota contacted Cuningham Group to establish a partnership due to Cuningham’s recent successful completion of the Alexandria High School. The two companies complemented each other well by using current knowledge of high school design coupled with local experience within the community.
Community forums consisting of community members, staff, parents and students began in 2014 and met throughout 2015.
“A lot of the discussion [from the forums] was centered around Tech, but it was really [about] how the district wants to deliver education and how does the community view and want education,” says Leapaldt. “How do you model an education system that is both flexible and match where education is going?”
Taskforce members agreed a new Tech was the only way to accomplish what the community and the district viewed as the future of education.
After a failed first attempt at a referendum in 2015, taskforce members went back to the drawing board. The district convened listening sessions, and the agreed upon best option was to scale back the building to accommodate 1,600 students instead of 1,800. However, members believed District 742 would reach a 1,800 population within a short amount of time. Therefore, the change in design meant the core facilities such as the commons areas, food areas and courts would still need to handle 1,800 students, and the site would allow for the expansion of the gym, gymnastics facility and an additional learning neighborhood in the future.
And the referendum passed the second time around.
With the new build moving forward, the bid process began for construction. ICS Consulting, Inc. joined the team to help construct the bridge to cross over Neenah Creek and eventually build the new Tech High School. The largest challenge to the team was Neenah Creek.
Kyle Walters, project construction manager from ICS, was under a time constraint. The bridge was integral to the construction site. The city of St. Cloud would begin road construction on Co. Rd. 74 blocking off the other entrance to the site, so ICS wanted to “push” dirt as quickly as possible.
It took many entities to solve the problem.
“We have a very beautiful site, a very wonderful site from a sustainability standpoint,” describes Leapaldt. “[There’s a] lot of opportunities for education . . . but we had to cross the creek. … which required 17 permits on its own. We had everyone from the DNR [Department of Natural Resources], Stearns County, City of St. Cloud and the Core of Engineers. All were engaged in helping us address how we would get access to the site and yet protect the stream. We also had an unrestrained aquifer.”
“All things considered,” says Walters, “it went off without a hitch. It was a challenge, but everything fell into place.”
The team in its creative effort was able to protect the natural environment. The next hurdle was the unrestrained water levels underground. The teams monitored the underground water levels for a year to figure out how to protect the creek in the future.
“When people start seeing the site with all the pavers in the parking lot,” says Leapaldt, “I think they see those initially as kind of an expensive parking area. … In reality, those pavers are a water retention system. … [It] allows the water to slowly seep back into the ground. … A trout stream needs to remain cool, so we can’t take water coming right off of hot pavement and run it directly into the stream.”
The water levels also caused the pool to be raised two and a half feet and drain tile installed around it. A monitoring system was also installed to measure the water tables underground so maintenance can drain the pool at a time that would not affect the underground table.
With these two major hurdles out of the way, construction began on the building.
The changes in the landscape could be seen immediately with cleared fields, plumbing and foundations. At any given point there were approximately 150 construction people on site for the next two years. Before long, steel beams, precast walls, fields and bleachers could be viewed on the site.
Over the last 50 years, architecture and design of schools have changed significantly.
“There are some things that stay the same,” explains Leapaldt. “A gym will always be a gym and a locker room always a locker room. What’s changed in school construction is we’re thinking a lot more about how change happens fast and change happens frequently. Whereas the last 50 years, it didn’t. Education didn’t change much.”
From the construction standpoint, not only have the materials changed over the last several decades but so has the larger equipment. Now operators use GPS (Global Positioning System) to get the exact altitude and elevation levels they need.
“If Tech was built back when Apollo was done,” says Walters, “there is no way it would have been done in two years. A lot of that has to do with the buildings, too. It’s changing from a concrete block type of material to steel studs and sheetrock.”
And the change can be seen throughout the building.
Students see the exposed crossbars that help the structure to stand and withstand the weather elements.
Since today’s education changes fast and frequently, the furniture in the school meets those needs as well. Desks, tables and chairs are mobile to allow for different learning styles, group collaboration or individual work. Many of the hallway walls feature whiteboards so students can use the space for creative thinking, work out math problems, jot down ideas or just draw diagrams.
Combining the natural outdoor habitat with the interior learning environment has been important since conception. The community felt it crucial for students to face and stay close to the woods to use and enjoy. The architects brought nature into the interior design. The greens and natural varietal woods represent the surrounding forest. The blues represent the sky and natural light that shines through the windows and glass within the building. The greys represent the granite found in the St. Cloud area.
The career and technical education areas are designed in a way to be open and noticeable to other students, yet situated next to the design and fabrication labs where students create prototypes prior to production. Health career rooms now boast hospital beds, up-to-date medical equipment and science labs.
“One of the highlights is we’re trying to expose students to those technical areas,” says Tech Principal Charlie Eisenreich. “We made it [tech and fabrication areas] very visible. …They will see kids building cabinets, building shelving and putting together parts for our big build.”
Today’s students combine hands-on learning with technology and textbooks. The library is now on both floors with a genius bar for students to gather, collaborate and work.
“Learning happens everywhere,” adds Leapaldt. “It’s not tucked in a corner, down a hallway or out of the way. It’s up front where students go by it every day.”
Soon the community will see it for themselves.
The Grand Opening is planned for September 16, 2019. Tech High School cross-country athletes will run a ceremonial torch from the old Tech High School to the new. After a ceremony at Tiger Stadium, self-guided tours of the school will follow.
“The open feeling you get going through Tech is the coolest thing,” smiles Leapaldt. “It just feels like a place you want to be.”
As Tech students enter a new era, they will proudly continue the tradition of excellence they’ve displayed for the last 100 years.
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