With Bray support, the School District of North Fond du Lac successfully passed two referendum questions in April 2017. The $27 million question alloted funds for improvements to the Early and Friendship Learning Centers, while the $2.5 million question addresses improvements to the middle and high schools.
Friendship Learning Center is a 7-track school serving students in Pre-K–5th grade. To support the District’s goal of future growth and open enrollment, a 92,000 square foot addition was designed to accommodate an increased student capacity.
Collaboration between the school’s staff and the design team resulted in the development of a school-wide, unifying concept that is not only the basis of the strategy the team employed to design the building’s cohesive spaces, but also an educational tool staff will utilize within their curricula. The concept, known as the “Learning Lands” of the “World of Friendship,” assigns a continent to each of the seven grade levels. Grade sections are organized into pods of dedicated classrooms and small-group instruction areas centered around shared collaboration spaces. The entrance to each grade pod feature large, custom-designed wall graphics depicting the unique elements (natural wonders, architectural icons, cultural treasures, native animals, etc.) of that grade’s continent.
Scope of work at Friendship Learning Center includes addition and renovation to provide adequate space for all students, as well as creation of a three-court gymnasium for both Physical Education and community use. Additional parking and playground space has also been created. Renovation at the middle school and high school involves bathroom and locker room remodeling, roof replacement, and floor replacement. All schools have received safety/security updates in the form of secure entrances.
