SOMERTON, Ariz.―General contracting firm McCarthy Building Companies has delivered for the Yuma Union High School District (YUHSD) the new Somerton High School, now welcoming its inaugural class. The $68 million project, which has been planned since 2019, is the seventh high school for the YUHSD. Prior to this project, Somerton was the largest city in the Grand Canyon State without its own high school.

As designed by DLR Group, Somerton High School’s campus puts particular focus on classrooms for career and technical education (CTE) programs such as welding, sports medicine, engineering, robotics, law enforcement and culinary arts. Other career-preparation courses may be added in the future, the school announced.

DLR Group’s design also incorporates Somerton’s proximity to the Colorado River Delta, whose alluvial system is part of a mechanism that provides water throughout the Southwest. The campus offers a shaded outdoor courtyard—a forward-thinking notion in this very hot region—at the heart of the campus that is meant to call to mind the river system.

The 150,000-square-foot, four-building campus is home to nearly 2,000 students. In addition to classrooms, Somerton’s campus houses a 358-seat cafeteria as well as 432 outdoor dining seats and a snack bar. A black box-style theater, media center, choir room, band room, special educational classrooms and laboratory classrooms are all on offer.

The high school’s auxiliary gym seats 193 people, and also has a weight training room. Outdoors, the football stadium can seat 500 spectators; there is also a baseball field, softball field and tennis courts.

Ongoing supply chain issues addressed by McCarthy personnel included replacing back-order steel tresses with treated wooden trusses instead in some areas—while moving the installation of those steel tresses that did arrive until much later in the schedule for the cafeteria and media center. Thus the project schedule was maintained without delays.

“The design for this high school was inspired by the strong agricultural community in Somerton as well as the nationally recognized CTE programs at YUHSD,” Carmen Wyckoff, DLR Group principal and K-12 education leader, said of Somerton’s completion. “This facility will have an immediate impact on the legacy the Somerton High students will leave in their community.”

Added John Kovesdy, project manager with McCarthy Building Companies: “We had our challenges throughout the project, but nothing was going to stop the team from opening Somerton High School. We all knew how important it is to our community.

“We feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to help create this landmark in Somerton.”

McCarthy and DLR Group’s partners included Arizona Verde Fire Protection, Delta Diversified Enterprises, Yuma Valley Contractors and Arizona Window Coverings.

“The realization of Somerton High School is an incredible mix of joy, pride and gratitude,” YUHSD Superintendent Tim Brienza said of the school construction completion. “Decades after being discussed, the community has this incredible facility to provide the backdrop of graduating EVERY student college, career and community prepared.”

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YUMA, Ariz. — Yuma Union High School District students, staff, and community members recently gathered to celebrate the opening of the Kofa High School campus. DLR Group’s design transforms the once sprawling, unorganized site into a cohesive high school campus serving 2,000 students in grades 9-12.

The $12 million project was funded by a 2015 voter-approved bond passage. Arcadis served as project manager and McCarthy Building Companies served as general contractor.

According to Turner, an international construction services company, the two phases of the Kofa High School renovations project included 177,000 square feet of upgrades to the gymnasium, cafeteria, classrooms, bus and visitor/staff parking areas. Work also included enhancements to campus security and information technology resources.

The new campus features updated academic classrooms and labs with abundant technology, and flexible collaboration areas that allow students to work in small or large groups. The reimagined student hub now encompasses dining, socializing, and student services in a central location. The student hub has a new culinary arts classroom and restaurant providing enhanced dining options for students, educators, and community members. In addition, it also houses the campus bookstore, student-run store, and IT support center.

“The conversion of the original Kofa cafeteria into a new dynamic hub is one of the most dramatic changes in this renovation,” said DLR Group Principal Carmen Wyckoff, AIA. “Our design unifies the campus aesthetically and provides future-ready environments that celebrate academics, athletics, and the whole student experience.”

DLR Group’s design frames an active zone south of the student hub, creating synergies between career and technical education (CTE) courses such as personal training, athletics, nursing, physical education, and health classes. Spaces in the active zone serve dual purposes: the wrestling room is also used for police take-down training, the strength training area is utilized by students enrolled in the physical therapy certification program, and the nursing program shares spaces with the EMT certification program.

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