Design plans focus on Valley Middle School

The Grand Forks School Board reviewed the latest design plans for the new Valley Middle School project last night (Monday).

The outside will feature a combination of brick…metal panels…and precast materials.

Kyle Kvamme of ICON Architects says there’s been a few tweaks to the project since the last update including the shifting of the athletic field to a north-south run and additional parking. Kvamme says they have also tried to incorporate the Red River Valley into the design scheme. “How do you incorporate the river flowing through the town as the life flowing through school?”

The new school was a main component of the $79 million dollar referendum approved by voters in May.

The board has agreed to tap into a low interest $30 million dollar School Construction Assistance Revolving Loan Fund from the Bank of North Dakota to assist with financing the project.

Construction will begin next spring.
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Grand Forks school officials have developed a series of academic goals for the 2023-24 school year. They include increasing district ELA proficiency levels from 46 to 51%. Another target is boosting district-wide student math proficiency from 40 to 45%.
The school board reviewed the targets last night.

Picture:  GF School/ICON/Cuningham