“The new Bobby Summers Middle School is a new paradigm in what middle schools will be in the future,” said Sloan Harris, CEO, VLK Architects. “We are so appreciative that Royse City ISD had led us to drive the design forward and deliver a new state-of-the-art campus for its students.”
RCISD hired VLK Architects to help them meet the challenge of planning the 2018 bond after more than a decade since the district’s last bond election. VLK worked alongside RCISD Superintendent Kevin Worth, district leaders, and a community-based bond planning committee. Through this collaborative process, members of the community were provided district demographic and financial data, along with potential project scope and costs to evaluate needs and set priorities, and successfully achieved a 79 percent pass rate.
Designed to promote outdoor engagement, the building features a centrally located secure courtyard and large windows to allow daylight to fill the space. The multipurpose courtyard area located just outside of the cafeteria functions as a staging area and will further serve as a meeting space for large events, classes, and additional play space. Multipurpose furniture will be placed on tracks that can be moved based on the space needed.
The design is specified to be environmentally friendly by using a rainwater collection tank to further aid in landscaping. The classrooms and science labs for each grade are placed around large central collaboration spaces featuring tiered seating, presentation capabilities, writeable surfaces, and flexible furniture. These spaces can accommodate multiple classrooms simultaneously in order to provide the district with the flexibility to extend the learning environment beyond the classroom.
"The dedication of Bobby Summers Middle School was a proud moment for our community. This project was met with great community support and involvement. I am particularly proud and thankful that our partners at VLK ensured that student-voice was present throughout the design process,” said Kevin Worthy, Superintendent, Royse City ISD. “Opening the doors to this beautiful and innovative new school will be a joyous occasion. Generations of students will grow and thrive in the thoughtful spaces of Bobby Summers Middle School."
