Riverfield Country Day School Expands Campus
By KELSY LORIN TAYLOR
Web Editor and Feature Writer
MAKING PLANS: Marty Clark and Jerry Bates look over the drafts for the additions that are coming soon to the Riverfield Country Day School campus.
KELSY LORIN TAYLOR for GTR Newspapers
There are two building projects being set into motion at Riverfield Country Day School. One addition will be made to the multipurpose room in the main school building and the other will be a new classroom building for middle and upper school students. “This campus expansion is one way we can be sure to continue to meet the needs of our growing student body both now and in the future,” says Marty Clark, the head of school.
The addition will double the size of the multi-purpose room, which will be enjoyed by all students for fun, games and educational entertainment. “Currently, it is not large enough to accommodate our pre-school and primary school students needs especially during the winter months,” says Jerry Bates, assistant head. “There will also be a lot of wonderful ways to use the space for school events and basketball practices.”
Also created through the addition will be a large conference room for professional development and plenty of much needed storage areas. Plans will be finalized in the next couple of weeks and the groundbreaking should be set for September and will first impact students attending the summer camps of next year. Students will be in attendance to show their excitement for the project.
Another addition to Riverfield’s campus is a new building which will provide 13 classroom spaces for middle and upper school students. Boasting two stories, the building will be connected to the rest of the campus by walkways circling around a beautiful pond and trees.
Riverfield Country Day School encourages students to learn in a classroom that expands into the outdoors. Bates explains that the new building will be centered around this learning philosophy. “The designs will include a lot of windows to let in natural light. One side of the new building will face the pond and be used for dining and large meetings and will incorporate a deck.”
These plans will help to meet the needs for today and tomorrow with the number of students in attendance. “We have almost reached 30 students per grade level and if we choose through strategic planning to increase that number to 45 in the coming years, we will have the facilities to support that growth” notes Clark.
Students were told about the projects during the last school year. “We have asked them about things that they would like to see in the designs. Upper school students have been involved in the process and we have enjoyed working with them. One of the main things that they asked for were more outlets in the classrooms for their laptops,” Bates explains. Also as suggested, green elements will be incorporated in a variety of ways.
Riverfield Country Day School is located at 2433 W. 61st St. in Tulsa. For more information, visit www.riverfield.org or call 918-446-3553.
Updated 10-19-2011
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