DPS School Construction Project

The new $21.8 million Mackenzie PK-8 School, one of three, final new construction schools completed in 2012, opened Aug. 28 as part of the DPS All-Schools Open House and Alumni Celebration festivities.

The new $22.3 million Munger PK-8 School, one of three, final new construction schools completed in 2012, opened Aug. 28 as part of the DPS All-Schools Open House and Alumni Celebration festivities.

The new $48 million EEVPA high school, one of three, final new construction schools completed in 2012, opened Aug. 28 as part of the DPS All-Schools Open House and Alumni Celebration festivities.

Demolition started July 24 of the 63-year-old former Mumford High School. It will take demolition crews approximately nine weeks to level the 240,273-square-foot Art Deco style structure that was built in 1949.

A total of 241 DPS students have been hired to work on construction job sites for the past three summers where they combine classroom instruction with on-site job experience in the industry. Thirty-two students were hired this summer for the third and final year of the program.

Demolition started June 28 of the 85-year-old Mackenzie High School. It will take crews approximately 16 weeks to level the 223,000-square-foot vacated structure that was built in 1927.

NFL star Jerome Bettis, a graduate of Mackenzie High School, was greeted by a bus load of parents from Barton and Parker Schools before taking a tour of the new $21.8 million Mackenzie PreK to 8 School located on the same campus where he began his football career. Bettis donated $15,000 to DPS’s Parent Advisory Councils on Student Achievement on behalf of his “The Bus Stops Here Foundation.”

Students make good use of the new black box theater that also doubles as a cafeteria which was part of a $10.2 million renovation to the school's performing arts wing.

Crews are laying floor tiles in the two-story student commons area and filling in the pool at the new 211,000SF school that will open to 1,200 students this fall.

Landscapers are planting flowers in the courtyard while crews inside are working on the pool, gym, and the two-story student center at the new $50.34 million school opening this fall.

The new $21.8 million school is on schedule to open this fall that will offer a media center, two-story student arcade, a gym, art room with a kiln and science labs for elementary and middle students.

Construction is nearly complete on the new $22.3 million school in Southwest Detroit that will feature a gym, two-story student arcade, multipurpose room and classrooms for elementary and middle school students.

More than 1,000 students tried their hand at masonry, carpentry and electrical work, and operated heavy construction equipment at the Construction Science Expo May 22 at the Randolph Career & Tech Center.

More than 1,000 parade marchers celebrated the upcoming grand opening of the new $21.8 million Mackenzie PreK to 8 School May 8.

More than 300 parents, students and staff were treated to a sneak peek inside the new $21.8 million school during the All Schools Open Enrollment Event March 31.

More than 250 parents, students and staff were treated to a sneak peek inside the new $22.3 million school during the All Schools Open Enrollment Event March 31.

More than 200 parents, students and staff were treated to a sneak peek inside the new $46.3 million school during the All Schools Open Enrollment Event March 31.

The $1.93 million Ronald Brown Academy renovation project was completed in 2011 and included a number of capital improvements to the former Stellwagen Elementary building, now a part of the Ronald Brown Academy campus. Improvements included a full window replacement, as well as renovations to the auditorium and the gymnasium.

The $9.2 million renovation project at Northwestern High School was completed in 2012. Two light wells were created to brighten the hallways and common areas with skylight atriums. Lighting upgrades were also installed the conservatory, hallways and classrooms.

The former Duffield Elementary School building completed a $9.5 million renovation in 2011 to incorporate the Bunche PreK to 8 program that includes a new media center, dining area, and classroom improvements.

Beckham Academy received $3.8 million in renovations in 2011 that included an arts addition, five new classrooms, two choral rooms with risers, teaching stations and acoustic panels, two instrumental rooms with sound proofed practice rooms, as well as a new dance studio.

At the heart of the $8.6 million upgrade to Marcus Garvey Academy in 2011 is the new Harambee Center addition, a flexible gathering space with a stage for the school’s African-centered curriculum.

The $28.3 million upgrade to Western International High School in 2011 included a new athletic complex addition with a swimming pool and gym. The existing pool was filled in and the space was converted into the visual and performing arts wing which includes a black box theater, two dance studios, language laboratories, and art rooms.

The $16.85 million renovation of Henry Ford High School in 2011 included expansion of the existing student dining area, the build-out of two sustainable technology labs and greenhouse, and classroom upgrades.

The $16.5 million renovation of Denby High School in 2011 included construction of a new three-story commons area for student dining and other activities, as well as a major renovation to restore school’s original 1930s auditorium.

The new $21.5 million Samuel Gompers Elementary Middle school in the Brightmoor neighborhood opened in 2011 on the site of the former Harding Elementary School on the city’s west side. The 111,882-square-foot school consolidated and replaced three older buildings: Harding, Vetal and Gompers elementary schools.

The new $22.2 million Amelia Earhart Elementary Middle School opened in 2011 across from Clark Park Southwest Detroit. The 111,090-square-foot facility has separate elementary and middle school wings with shared common spaces for the cafeteria, administration office and multi-purpose rooms.

The new $46.4 million MLK High School opened in 2011. The 245,413-square-foot facility is an impressive two-story building with six wings: four academic areas featuring classrooms and science labs, an athletic complex with a swimming pool and gym, and a performing arts area with a renovated auditorium, dance studio, band room, and choral room. The facility also has a cyber café, media center and small amphitheater.

Demolition began in 2011 on the former Munger/Chadsey complex to make way for the new $22.3 million Munger PreK to 8 School in a thriving section of Southwest Detroit. The new school will include an elementary and middle school wing connected by a two-story “student arcade” for use as a dining court and school square.

The new $21.8 million Mackenzie PreK to 8 School is under construction adjacent to the existing Mackenzie High School. The new school will have a large open media center, gymnasium and classrooms serving the needs of the school’s middle and elementary students.

The new $50.3 million Mumford High School is under construction on campus athletic fields. When the school opens in fall 2012, the new 239,900-square-foot high school will offer academic core areas, a high-tech media center, modern science laboratories, a courtyard, and a community health clinic.

The new $46.3 million East English Village Preparatory Academy is being built on the site of the former Finney High School. When the school opens in fall 2012, it will accommodate up to 1,200 students in the 221,000-square-foot facility.

Detroit Public Schools Superintendent of Academics Karen Ridgeway led a hard hat tour for two of the four schools, a new high school being constructed at the site of the former Finney High and the new Munger PreK to 8 School. These schools are two of the last four under construction as part of the $500.5 million DPS Capital Improvement Program.

Local unions and trades associations registered Detroit residents age 18 to 25 interested in training opportunities during a skilled trades career fair Dec. 7 at Randolph Career & Tech Center.

Students, parents, teachers, staff and community members of Marcus Garvey Academy celebrated Nov. 16 the completion of their brand new $2.1 million, Harambee Center addition that is a new 160,745-square-foot gathering space for the school’s African-centered curriculum. The celebration included student performances by the school’s African drummers and dancers and community banquet.

Check out new images and floor plans for the new $50 million Mumford High School under construction.

More than 800 students, parents, teachers, staff and community members of Amelia Earhart Elementary Middle School celebrated the completion of their brand new $22.2 million school in Southwest Detroit by releasing blue and white balloons during a special outdoor assembly Nov. 3.

Students, parents, principals, staff and community members of Western International High School in Southwest Detroit celebrated the completion of their newly renovated school, located at 1500 Scotten Avenue, during a special ribbon cutting assembly Oct. 21 at 12 noon. The $28.3 million facility renovation includes a new athletic complex addition with a swimming pool, new gymnasium, training and fitness classroom spaces and a new building entrance for after-hours use by both students and the community.

Students, parents, teachers and staff at Henry Ford High School celebrated the completion of their newly renovated school with FTA President Keith Johnson during a ribbon cutting program Sept. 29.

Beckham Academy students, parents, teachers and staff celebrated the completion of their newly renovated school with a performance by the school's drum corps Sept. 29.

Students, parents, teachers and staff celebrated the opening of their new school in the Brightmoor neighborhood during a ribbon cutting program Sept. 28.

More than 100 students, parents, teachers and staff of the New Amelia Earhart Elementary Middle School in Southwest Detroit joined Emergency Manager Roy Roberts Sept. 2 for a first look inside the new school’s media center, science labs, gym, and PK-8 common areas.

Western International High School faculty, students and parents joined Emergency Manager Roy Roberts Sept. 2 on a tour to see the school’s new pool, gym, black box theater and dance studios.

Completed renovations at Denby High School include modernized classrooms, new security entrance, restoration of the historic 1930s auditorium, and an impressive three-story, glass student dining commons new addition where the old smoke stack was torn down.

More than 200 DPS students, parents, principals, staff and community members participated Aug. 30 in a ribbon cutting ceremony for nine schools, totaling $167 million in construction, opening to 8,000 students across the city, marking the largest grand opening of facilities in the $500.5 million bond construction program funded by voter-approved Proposal S dollars.

Detroit Public Schools today held a graduation ceremony to mark the completion of the nine-week DPS Student Summer Worker Program, honoring 135 students who were hired to work this summer on school construction sites as part of the district’s $500.5 million capital improvement program. Students received a certificate of achievement, a personal letter of recommendation, and a $900 incentive bonus for completing the program.

Demolition of the former Martin Luther King, Jr. Senior High School started in July with up to four excavators on site that will tear down the administration and science lab wings in the first phase of demolition. It will take about four weeks to raze the 230,000-square-foot school that was built in 1963.

A lot of work was done at the Southwest Detroit schools in June. The gym floor and final pool finishes were installed in the new athletic addition at Western International High School. Over at the new PreK to 8 school across from Clark Park, the brick façade is complete and windows are being installed.

Alumni, faculty, parents and students of the former Mackenzie High School joined DPS Emergency Manager Roy Roberts June 26 at a community celebration for the last groundbreaking for a $21.8 million PreK to 8 school that is being built on the campus.

More than 135 Detroit Public Schools students started work June 27 on nine construction sites as part of a nine-week trades program where they will combine classroom instruction with on-site job experience in the industry.

More than 1,000 DPS students who have signed a pledge card to remain drug free had an opportunity to explore careers in the design and construction industry at the Construction Science Expo at the Detroit Science Center May 24. Students participated in demonstrations with industry experts and got an up close look at construction equipment.

DPS held a resource fair on May 11 for Detroit residents with experience in skilled trades or those who are seeking a career in the industry.

Students of the Robotics Team at Denby High School were taught their first virtual lesson April 27 using brand new laptop computers as part of a massive technology infusion initiative that will wire 57 Detroit Public Schools for 40,000 laptop computers this year. The technology upgrades are funded by a $35 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant combined with the voter-approved Proposal S bond issue.

The first public tour of a new PreK to 8 facility under construction was held for the Brightmoor community April 13 at the new Gompers School on the city’s west side. The new $20.5 million school will replace three older buildings—Gompers, Harding and Vetal—combining elementary and middle school students under one roof.

Demolition of the former Cass Technical High School began March 23 on the 1981 addition of the building that housed the athletic wing, cafeteria and some classrooms. It will take about 10 weeks to complete the first phase of the demolition. The second phase to take down the original nearly 90-year-old part of the school will begin in June when students leave campus for summer.

Bethune-Fitzgerald Academy has a brand, new gym complete with a 10-foot climbing wall, six basketball hoops and a volleyball court as part of the $8.4 million renovations to the school. BF Academy is the second school to be 100% completed in the bond program.

More than 60 students, parents, faculty and community members got their first look inside the new $46.4 million MLK High School under construction Feb. 28. The tour included interior and exterior work areas of the new school’s two-story glass façade, new athletic wing, and academic neighborhoods.

School planning teams presented a first look at the design features of nine schools being newly built or renovated as part of Detroit Public Schools’ $500.5 million bond construction program. Interior and exterior design elements included color schemes, tile and flooring patterns, artwork and sculptures, exterior brick work, courtyard renderings, and more, that are unique to the culture and history of each school.

Local artisans from 555 Nonprofit Gallery and Studios preserving a piece of Southwest Detroit’s history dig through piles of debris and rubble Feb. 9 to salvage bricks, limestone archways pieces, and other historic materials from the Munger and Chadsey schools being torn down to build a brand new $22.3 million PreK to 8 school in the community. Salvaged items will be relocated to a community garden to be developed at the Detroit Public Library Conley Branch.

Western International High School in Southwest Detroit is one of three high schools that is undergoing extensive classroom renovations. Students will benefit from new overhead lighting, new white boards, refinished flooring, fresh paint, and more. A total of 50 classrooms at Western will be renovated.

Demolition began January 2011 on the former Munger/Chadsey complex in Southwest Detroit at the intersection of Martin and McGraw streets to make way for the new $22.3 million Munger Pre-K-8. The new school, scheduled to open in December, will include an elementary and middle school wing connected by a two-story “student arcade” that will function as a dining court, student center and school square.

Detroit Public Schools opened on Jan. 20 a $5.6 million police headquarters and command center, a 23,000-square-foot high-tech facility built from the ground up in six months on a six-acre site near I-75 and Clay Avenue. The facility will serve as an anchor for redevelopment in the city's North End neighborhood while providing an improved 24-hour security system to enhance public safety on campuses for all students and staff district-wide.

Interior and exterior images of the former Sherrard Elementary School that was torn down to build the new DPS Police Headquarters and Command Center and the future Michigan Humane Society's Detroit Center for Animal Care near I-75 and Clay Avenue in the city's North End neighborhood.

Construction is well underway for several schools, including those in this photo gallery - Martin Luther King Jr. Senior High School, Gompers PreK to 8 in Brightmoor, Fitzgerald Elementary School, PreK to 8 School in Clark Park, Denby High School, Western International High School and the DPS Office of Public Safety and Operations Center.

More than 175 young adults interested in skilled trades attended DPS Apprenticeship Career Fair to meet with local unions Dec. 8 at the Randolph Career and Technical Center.

The new $46.3 million Finney Crocket facility will accommodate up to 1,200 students in a move that will consolidate both campuses when the school opens for the 2012-2013 academic year. The new 221,000-square-foot school will be a LEED Gold Certified state-of-the-art facility featuring four wings for eight science laboratories, a high-tech media center, athletic area with a community health clinic, and a performing arts section. school will be a LEED Gold Certified state-of-the-art facility featuring four wings for eight science laboratories, a high-tech media center, athletic area with a community health clinic, and a performing arts section.

The new $50.3 million Mumford High School will be a LEED Silver Certified state-of-the-art facility featuring a high-tech media center, modern science laboratories, a performing arts wing with an 800-seat auditorium, a new gym and swimming pool, and a community health clinic. The school, being built on the current Mumford athletic field, will be complete in 2012.

Detroit Public Schools hosted a community celebration Oct. 19 for the new $22.3 million Munger PreK to 8 School in Southwest Detroit. Once the new school is built in 2012, it will include an elementary and middle school wing connected by a two-story “student arcade” that will function as a dining court, student center and school square.

The $22.3 million Munger project, located at 5525 Martin Street, will include an elementary and middle school wing connected by a two-story “student arcade” that will function as a dining court, student center and school square. The school is being located at the site of the former Munger and Chadsey schools in a thriving section of Southwest Detroit. Bright, sustainable classrooms will line colorful corridors centered around an academic commons area and teacher work centers. The school is designed to accommodate between 850 and 1,100 students. The $21.8 million Mackenzie project, located at 9275 Wyoming Avenue, will include a large open media center serving the needs of the school’s middle and elementary students. The building design will focus on student safety and will be environmentally-responsible through the adherence to national standards set by CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) and LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). The minimum goal is set at a Silver LEED Certificate.

Groundbreakings took place Oct. 14 for the three latest projects totaling $49.3 million— Detroit School of Arts East – Duke Ellington at Beckham, Munger and Mackenzie PreK to 8 schools.

The $10.7 million renovation of John R. King PreK to 8 School, 15850 Strathmoor Street, is the first of the 18 schools to be completed. Construction began in late May 2010 and was completed in just over three months. The most extensive part of the renovation project is the new state-of-the-art 5,514-square-foot black box theater with dramatic overhead lighting for plays, recitals and concerts. A ribbon cutting program was held on Sept. 2 with John R. King students, parents and faculty.

Construction at the facility began in July on the $27.7 million renovation project, located at 1500 Scotten Road. Work to date includes completing the infill of the existing pool and lighting upgrades in the cafeteria. The build-out of temporary classrooms has started. Additionally, the Department of Water and Sewerage Department is continuing efforts to relocate water lines on the site.

Renovations at the facility, located at 15850 Strathmoor Street, totaling $10.7 million are complete and include a new state-of-the-art, 5,500-square-foot black box theater with dramatic overhead lighting to support the school’s performing arts-centered curriculum, newly remodeled Rosa Parks Atrium, new science and technology labs, new playground equipment, painting, new vinyl composition tile flooring, new light fixtures in classrooms, installation of HVAC systems to provide air-conditioning in academic spaces, new boilers, refinished gymnasium floor, new PA / clock system and new lockers.

Groundbreaking on the new $20.5 million school in Brightmoor, located at 14450 Burt Road, was held July 9. Demolition on Harding Elementary School, the site of the new facility, is underway. Site work activities will commence upon completion of demolition work. Once completed, this school will replace three DPS schools – Gompers, Harding, and Vetal PreK to 8 schools.

Construction on the $8.8 million renovation project, located at 2301 Van Dyke, will be complete this week. A Temporary Certificate of Occupancy was issued on Aug. 23. Tack boards and marker boards are being installed, kitchen and science lab work and IT and security installation are in progress and scheduled for completion this week. Furniture is being moved back into classrooms. The Harambee Center addition has been submitted for State site approval and is scheduled for completion by February 2011.

The renovation component of the $8.4 million project, located at 8145 Puritan Road, will be complete this week. The interior signage is being installed and work on the administrative suite is being finished. IT and security installation is also in progress. A Temporary Certificate of Occupancy was issued on Aug. 23 and furniture has been moved back into classrooms. Approval from the State for a new gym addition has been acquired and foundations are being poured. The new gym addition is scheduled to be completed by December 2010.

Construction began in July on the $16.4 million Denby High School renovation, located at 12800 Kelly Road, and will be complete in 2011. Work in progress includes the refinishing of the basketball court, the demolition of the smoke stack, and the replacement of the roof.

Groundbreaking for the new $20.5 million facility, located at 1000 Scotten Road, was held July 9. The Earhart School has moved into its temporary home at Southwestern High School and design work and preparations for construction are progressing at the Earhart School site.

Groundbreaking for the new $5.6 million facility, located at 8500 Cameron Street, was held July 16. The foundations are substantially completed and the contractor is currently working on the installation of underground utilities and exterior masonry walls. Once completed, DPS police and security personnel will be able to monitor and control security technology throughout the district.

Groundbreaking for the $45.3 million project, located at 3200 Lafayette Street, was held June 18. Excavation and foundation work are in progress and the masonry work has begun. Once construction is complete in 2011, the new MLK building will be a LEED gold certified, state-of-the-art facility that will emphasize a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) curriculum, house a cyber café and media center and include a multi-lane natatorium.

Henry Ford, Denby and Western International high schools, that educate more than 3,850 students, will undergo $60.3 million in remodeling and technology improvements to create modernized classrooms, enhanced security entrances and other improvements to each school. Groundbreakings took place July 26 for the three projects, which will be constructed by three Detroit-headquartered contractor teams.

Groundbreaking was held July 16 for the new $5.6 million Detroit Public Schools Office of Public Safety Headquarters and Operations Center. It will serve as the base of operations for a district-wide security system using high-tech video surveillance cameras and alarms to enhance public safety on all school campuses for all students.

Detroit Public Schools students, parents, faculty and officials, joined by civic and community groups, broke ground July 9 on the $20.5 million Gompers PreK to 8 School in Brightmoor.

Detroit Public Schools students, parents, faculty and officials, joined by civic and community groups, broke ground July 9 on the $20.5 million PreK to 8 School at Clark Park.

Seventy-five Detroit Public Schools students have been hired this summer in a nine-week program where they will combine classroom instruction with on-site job experience in construction trades. They will be taught important job skills that will provide them with more opportunities for a career in skilled trades, design and construction management.

Construction on the first two new PK-8 schools, totaling $41 million, will start this month in the Brightmoor and Clark Park neighborhoods that will serve as a model for future PK-8 Detroit Public Schools that will offer large, bright classrooms, separate wings for elementary and middle school students, and multi-use common areas for both.

Detroit Public Schools parents, students, faculty and officials, joined by civic and community groups, broke ground June 18 on the new $45.3 million Martin Luther King Jr. Senior High School. Once construction is complete in 2011, the new MLK building will be a LEED gold certified, state-of-the-art facility that will emphasize a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) curriculum, house a cyber café and media center and include a multi-lane natatorium. MLK is the first of 18 schools that will be newly constructed or renovated with $500.5 million of federal stimulus dollars resulting from the passing of the Proposal S Bond Referendum.

More than 1,000 people seeking information on jobs turned out June 9 for DPS’ Skilled Trades Resource Fair for Detroit residents with experience in skilled trades or those who are seeking a career in the industry.

MLK is the first of 18 schools that will be newly constructed. Once it is complete in 2011, the new MLK building will be a LEED gold certified, state-of-the-art facility that will emphasize a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) curriculum, house a cyber café and media center and include a multi-lane natatorium.