As part of a $58.6 million bond issue, Sparta Area Schools sought to transform the middle school’s educational model by transitioning from a traditional departmentalized curriculum to an inclusive, interdisciplinary delivery method. 

The vision for the newly constructed middle school was to create collaborative environments that inspire learning and instruction, provide connection to the outdoors through natural light and outdoor learning spaces, and offer a welcoming community atmosphere while ensuring school safety isn’t compromised. The design created a building composed of four quadrants – multi-use flexible learning environments that the school calls “neighborhoods” – connected by a central circulation Learning Stair that puts learning on display for anyone who enters the school.

Each neighborhood includes four multi-use flexible classrooms, a STEM lab, a special education classroom, and a project makerspace, as well as a commons area that allows for collaborative learning and breakout areas where students can break into small groups for collaboration or receive individual instruction. Circulation can occupy about 30% of a building, so by utilizing the neighborhood’s hallway spaces for learning, students have the opportunity to collaborate in an open flexible environment that extends beyond the classroom. By nesting smaller spaces inside of larger ones as well as providing movable walls with whiteboards, we were able to create extended learning areas that are both open and highly flexible.

Instilling a sense of pride in the Sparta community, the new middle school allows for classrooms and instruction to be flexible and adapt for the educational needs of the next 20-30 years, ensuring each student is prepared for future success. Unique to Sparta Middle School is the inclusive education model incorporated into the design of the building. Special education classrooms are located within the neighborhoods so every student is part of the learning activity that occurs there, and the massive hallways are instead extensions of the classroom space, where students can easily break into groups while still being connected to and supervised by teachers. Most important was that the space felt welcoming, and that students would be excited about coming to school and learning.