FREEPORT, Texas—Groundbreaking festivities were in order at Brazosport High School, located near the Gulf of Mexico, when Brazosport ISD officials were on hand to turn over the first shovelfuls of earth at the site of what will soon be the school’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) Center.

The 76,000-square-foot CTE Center will offer several specialized training courses in such avocations as journalism, cosmetology, floral design and veterinary medicine. Inside various technical classrooms, budding professionals will also attend workshops for agricultural engineering, welding and construction programs. The learning spaces will offer both large windows to allow in outdoor lighting as well as immediately accessible outdoor workspace for additional use.

Other practical instructional programs will include yearbook design, as well as areas dedicated to multimedia production, podcasting and television green screen usage. The CTE Center’s cosmetology lab will have field-worthy stations for pedicures, hair styling, facial treatments and manicures. And students in the veterinary tech classrooms will learn how to properly care for and groom animals.

“Our new Career and Technical Education building will serve as a hub of innovation, fostering creativity, collaboration, and hands-on learning,” Danny Massey, Superintendent of Brazosport ISD, said at the groundbreaking. “This facility will provide our students with access to cutting-edge technology, modern workshops, and industry-standard equipment across a wide range of disciplines. Together, we will build not only a physical structure for our students today, but also a legacy of excellence for generations to come.”

VLK Architects is working with Drymalla Construction Company, both of Texas, on the project.

The CTE Center construction is funded thanks to a 2019 bond to direct $267 million to the district’s renovation work.

Monika Castillo, principal with VLK, enthused that the CTE Center will allow Brazosport ISD to continue delivering instruction that will better the district’s students as they prepare to enter the workforce.

“VLK has been fortunate to work with a client who invests in providing leadership and innovation for their students to make them future-ready,” Castillo said in a statement to School Construction News. “This new facility will allow the CTE programs to be on display throughout the hallways, which will allow future or prospective students and/or visitors to appreciate and be excited about the work being done at the facility. It is always a challenge to deliver a project while ensuring the adjacent facility is fully operational and safe for the students and staff, but in working with the district and Drymalla Construction, we were able to map out a plan where the district will continue to deliver education seamlessly until all phases of the project are complete.”

Construction on the CTE Center is projected to be completed in December 2024.

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STAFFORD, Texas—Stafford Municipal School District (SMSD), the only municipal school district in Texas, is on schedule to open its new facilities for middle school and administration this month.

The new facilities are being constructed as part of SMSD’s $62 million bond program that passed in late 2017. The bond program provided funds to address growth and expansion at SMSD, which enrolled approximately 3,600 students in the 2019-20 school year.

“We are thrilled with our new space,” said SMSD Superintendent Dr. Robert Bostic in a statement. “We can’t wait for staff, students and the community to see the final result and enjoy the renovations of our complex in person one day soon.”

The new $26 million middle school will accommodate 950 students in sixth, seventh and eighth grade. The three-story building, encompassing 139,360 square feet, includes 21st century classrooms, science laboratories, robotics, engineering and computer labs, band and two art rooms, fitness room, library, two gymnasiums and a cafetorium. The existing middle school was built in 1983 during the district’s inception.

The new two-story, 26,362-square-foot administrative building includes office areas, training and conferences rooms, and a board room for meetings. The $6.9 million facility includes a district memorabilia area where there will also be a 3D model of the complex installed. Both buildings were designed by AutoArch Architects and are being constructed by Drymalla Construction.

“The new facilities are aesthetically appealing and offer unique instructional opportunities for Stafford MSD students,” explained JP Grom, vice president at Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam,

the firm serving as the program manager for the bond program.

Other elements of the bond program include converting the existing middle school into a new Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM) magnet school for grades 3 to 8 that will open in 2021-22—the only one of its kind in Fort Bend County, a repurposed community center in place of the former administration building, a new outdoor educational plaza, converting the former intermediate school into an early childhood center, and renovation of the existing elementary and high schools.

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