Wood Elementary: The Start of Something New

Earlier this fall, we broke ground on Tempe Elementary School District’s Wood Elementary School in Tempe, Arizona!

The new Wood Elementary will be built from the ground up on a site adjacent to the existing facilities, while remaining an active elementary school campus. This project will be completed in two phases and will consist of two single-story buildings totaling 69,500 square feet! The buildings will house 30 classrooms, administration and office space, a learning commons building, a multipurpose room, and last but not least, a cafeteria building, which also will house three music classrooms! The new school will provide outdoor dining and learning spaces and a new parent drop-off and pick-up area. The Wood Elementary School rebuild is slated for completion in Fall 2020 – just in time for the new school year!

School Features and Upgrades:

Natural daylight and LED lighting throughout.
2012 Energy Code Requirements and Building Energy Management System in use.
Separate cafeteria and multipurpose room that can be used at the same time.
More energy savings with less exterior doors and access points with energy efficient windows.
Student breakout spaces.
Outdoor learning area designed by Wood Elementary students.
Outdoor dining and shade area.

Upgrades to School Safety:

Parking and access to front of school and administration area will be much closer.
Parent drop-off and queuing will be safer and more organized while also not causing issues with traffic.
All doors locked and secured during lockdown by use of electrified doors without staff requiring to secure.
Secured playground areas within courtyard for kindergarten through first grade.
Secured centralized courtyards for better building security.
More windows for better sight of the campus.
Less access points to get within the building in lieu of all classrooms with exterior doors.

Not only did we celebrate with a groundbreaking event but Wood Elementary was also in the news!

One of our main goals at CHASSE is to incorporate as much STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) and PBL (Project Based Learning) into the student’s curriculum when working on a school campus. We love the idea of integrating hands-on learning into the students day-to-day education and exposing students, as young as Kindergarten, to the world of construction! Partnering with Tempe Elementary School District, we incorporated STEM and PBL lessons into the curriculum at Frank Elementary and plan to do the exact same at Wood Elementary School! In October, students from Wood bussed to Frank to talk with Frank students, AVID Architects, and the CHASSE team about the construction process and how they can help design their own outdoor learning spaces. The visit included a tour of Frank and of course, some time to play on the playground!

To learn more about how we incorporate STEM and PBL classes into elementary schools, click the link below:
CHASSE Integrates Hands-On Learning at Frank Elementary