Middle school, yes. Model school, absolutely

What is your goal for Maricopa’s third middle school?

That was the question before steering committee members yesterday afternoon, including parents, teachers and administrators. They joined architects and project managers to start the design of Maricopa Unified School District’s new middle school.

MUSD Superintendent Tracey Lopeman and representatives of Phoenix-based Orcutt Winslow Architects led the so-called charette, allowing community members to brainstorm the goals intended to make the community’s newest school campus a learning success.

“The reason we’re here, in addition to design and developing and launching this model school, is because we got to do it,” Lopeman said. “We are growing, and you can see our projections here.”

The superintendent pointed to numbers that show the latest MUSD enrollment figure at 9,632 students. In 10 years, MUSD projects enrollment growth upwards of 17,000 students.

MUSD school board leaders recently chose the future site of Maricopa’s third middle school, about 30 acres in the fast-growing Sorrento community.

The school site is nestled in the subdivision just south of North Sorrento Boulevard across from the intersection with West Capri Avenue and adjoining an existing park and playground. The site will be the setting for 96,670 square feet of new school buildings.

The state has funded $31 million through a new school construction grant to build the school, which would house grades 6 to 8.

Construction is scheduled to begin in the next 12 to 15 months, with the school’s opening in July 2026.

Orcutt Winslow partner Saravanan Bala said ideas and concepts devised by two groups of steering committee members will be taken back to his office where they will be analyzed and categorized for a future charette. The process to design the school is expected to take up to three sessions.

“The third meeting is when we will be putting the pieces together to try to organize the site,” Bala said.

Orcutt Winslow designed MUSD’s second and newest high school, Desert Sunrise , which earned top honors in the K-12 category at the 2024 Real Estate Development Awards. The RED Awards recognized the collaborative efforts of MUSD, Orcutt Winslow, Chasse Building Team and Facility Management Group.

“We get to design and develop a new model, the model for a school in Maricopa,” Lopeman told steering committee members, adding that the design process is made possible through a state grant.

“This underscores how important this process is because the kids are coming and the challenge to create a new model, or a model for a new school is imperative for us,” Lopeman said.

One team listed the following goals:

• “Our school should be inclusive through flexibility, opportunity, engagement, movement, learner-centered, future focused and self-directed.”

• “Our school should be connected with relevant project-based learning that integrates parent and community and business partnerships.”

• “Our school should be a place where families want to be a part of.”

The other charette team’s goals were:

• “All means all. Inclusive culture where each kid gets what they need.”

• “Flexibility in programs, space, staffing and scheduling, and resources.”

• “Community-focused learning where a wide variety of stakeholders empower students to learn, discover and innovate.”

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