As the second new CRCSD building to go up under the Facilities Master Plan, Maple Grove Elementary School is getting ready to open!
“We are excited to continue on our Facilities Master Plan path with the opening of Maple Grove! With every new experience you learn from your past experiences,” says Jonathan Galbraith, director of operations for CRCSD. “This process is no different and we’ve learned from our experiences at West Willow and have implemented that learning at Maple Grove.”
Maple Grove Elementary is located at 1300 38th Street NW in Cedar Rapids, home to the previous Jackson Elementary. The new school building boasts 40 learning spaces, an ADA accessible playground, stable heating/cooling, and classroom structures that utilize space for 21st century learning.
One feature that remains from the re-worked site – the beloved sledding hill. The elements of the hill and the surrounding trees on the property were woven into Maple Grove’s design.
“As we planned our building, we were mindful of the importance of natural elements upon the learning brain,” says Nick Duffy, principal at Maple Grove Elementary. “The trees on our property provide a park-like setting and we loved that so many of them remained after the derecho. We also wanted to capture as much natural light as possible to bring the outdoors into our spaces.”
The building also has more open and collaborative space for students to work. Each grade level is assigned to its own “pod” where students will be learning in a classroom, but also have many chances to work with other students from different classes. This will help them learn content at a deeper level, as well as allowing for some fun brain breaks in the day. The pods will be divided by grade level, and each will be named after a tree that is native to Iowa.
“The pods provide a school-within-a-school feel for each grade level, ” says Duffy. “These also could be thought of as neighborhoods with students from two grades sharing a few pods, which allows for greater collaboration between students and teachers.”
With the completion of Maple Grove, this second new elementary school is part of the 20 year CRCSD Facilities Master Plan. Up next on the plan is a new elementary school on the annex site of Arthur Elementary School. This new school will combine the neighborhoods of Garfield and Arthur, and is set to open in the fall of 2024. Galbraith says, “We will continue to learn and grow with every new building in the future!”
We are excited to share Maple Grove Elementary with you in person! Look forward to seeing information come out soon for an open house in September.
