Photo: West Des Moines Community School District
(West Des Moines, IA) -- The West Des Moines Community Schools (WDMCS) will break ground for a Career and Technical Education (CTE) addition at its Valley Southwoods Freshman High School campus Monday, May 23, 2022, at 4:30 p.m.
The 39,000-square-foot addition will provide space for students to study a variety of vocational and technical fields, including culinary arts, metals, and robotics. The space will also serve as an ICC-500 rated storm shelter in case of a weather-related emergency.
Plans also call for turning the existing media center into a presentation hall, remodeling the current food service kitchen spaces, and renovating the main entrance to create a secure entry.
Designed by Shive-Hattery, the $22 million expansion and remodel is planned to be complete in August 2023.
“This addition will bring the educational programming at Valley Southwoods to current-day standards and allow us to be future-ready for whatever the job market demands in our community,” said Mitch Kuhnert, principal at Valley Southwoods.
Superintendent Lisa Remy added, “The addition of Career Technical Education space at Valley Southwoods will allow students to explore interest areas at an earlier age and connect their learning to opportunities in the community.”