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Community Updates

Welcome to our central hub for distributing information and updates to all members of the High Meadows community about the new campus building.

You are welcome to submit questions using the link below with the Subject: "Community Question." Your thoughts, ideas, input, and opinions will be heard, considered, and discussed. Thank you for your voice!
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Building Updates

December 18, 2024

As we wrap up the first half of the school year, we are eagerly moving forward on next phases of the construction of our new classroom building! 
 
In preparation for the pouring of the foundation, the rocks that were hand-painted by our students earlier this fall were placed where they will be permanently encapsulated within the structure. While they will not be visible beyond this phase of construction, our students will know that their beautiful contributions lay at the heart of the building that will house generations of future High Meadows students. Students, faculty, and staff alike enjoyed watching the concrete being poured this week to form the foundation of the building.

After crews finished construction of the slab earlier this week, they began pouring the sidewalls of the building. In order to minimize disruptions to the school day, they will continue to work over Winter Break constructing the foundational structures upon which the framing will be built. While students are off campus, they will dig for the plumbing main line and connect to our current line near the Caboose. Observing the necessary steps to connect the new building to the existing infrastructure of the campus has offered an interesting and informative learning opportunity for all.
 
In January, the framing work will begin and our community will really start to see the new building take shape. What an exciting way to start 2025!

    • Hand painted rocks from students

    • Foundation Complete!

November 15, 2024

Exciting progress has taken place on the construction of our new building!
 
Over the past two weeks, crews have focused on pouring the footings for the foundation walls. Our students were captivated by watching the structure take shape before their eyes and learning about the machinery and processes involved in such a large, time-consuming project. After the footings settle, the team will begin backfilling along the wall and pouring the slab.
 
Click here to watch a time lapse of the footings being poured.

October 11, 2024

The moment we’ve awaited has arrived! We have broken ground on the site of our new educational building on campus and are moving forward with preparation for the next phases of construction! 
 
With excavators and other large machinery working actively at the job site, the campus-wide excitement of this project is tangible.
 
After formally receiving final permits from the City of Roswell on September 23, it was time to move some dirt! Grading is underway with an estimated 60 dump trucks taking soil off campus this week before the building foundation is started.

Students have enjoyed watching the parade of dump trucks drive up and down campus. They have also started to watch the construction site unfold through the windows in the construction fence.

    • We've officially broken ground!

    • Pre-K students watching the excavator through the windows in the construction fence.

September 9, 2024

Meet the Team!

Watch the video above to meet the Catamount Constructors Team! 

Andy Brown, current & alumni HMS parent, is the Project Executive and he has this to say about partnering with High Meadows. 
"Catamount has been working alongside the High Meadows School for over a decade and we’re proud to be back on campus again. Among secondary education clients we partner with- High Meadows stands out in the level of thoughtfulness about the student experience and transparency with the community. This holistic focus on the student experience shines through and is informing our construction process as we work through logistics and creative ways to include the school community in our process. We look forward to getting to work!”
 
Brian Carringer (seen in the video) is the Superintendent who will be on campus everyday. He will be meeting with School Leadership daily to ensure student safety and minimal disruption to the school day remains a top priority. 

July 22, 2024

An article in the fourth edition of “A Year in Review: HMS Magazine and Annual Report,” revealed details of the new facility and the programs that will be housed there.
Read the associated email and link to the magazine

March 5, 2024

At the end of February, High Meadows leadership hosted its annual ‘State of the Meadow’ school and board report to the community. During this presentation, Lisa Baker, Head of School & Camp, announced that we will be constructing a new building on campus. The following email was sent to the community with a link to view the recording of the meeting.
Read and watch the exciting announcement about the new building

Frequently Asked Questions

List of 9 frequently asked questions.

  • How will construction affect the daily operations of school and student experience? 

    Due to the location of the construction, we do not expect any significant effect on our students’ experience.   
    We are actively working with Catamount, our construction firm, to partner in ways that allow us to think of fun and meaningful ways to connect students to the project. 

    A thoughtful plan has been designed to keep carpool, pedestrian traffic, and on-campus parking operating in an efficient and safe manner. This carpool plan has been communicated to current families and communications will continue when and if any adjustments need to be made.  

  • How will child safety be managed during the construction process? 

    Safety throughout the construction process has been top of mind. We are very happy to be working with a firm (Catamount Constructors) that takes safety as seriously as we do.   

    The entire perimeter of the construction zone will be fenced and secured, and an on-site superintendent will supervise and workers in the area. Crews will primarily park off campus and carpool to the jobsite to avoid further parking constraints on campus and greater control of vehicles on campus.
      
    From adding new sidewalks for pedestrian safety, to background checks for all on-campus workers, safety will continue to be our highest priority. 

  • Who is High Meadows partnering with on this project? 

    High Meadows has contracted with Catamount Constructors. 

  • What is the timeline of construction? When will the building be complete? 

    Groundbreaking will occur by early September 2024 and construction is anticipated to conclude by early summer 2025. 

  • How are you paying for it?

    High Meadows is actively engaged in a fundraising campaign to fully fund the building's construction. We are thrilled to announce we have raised $2millon so far and have $300,000 to go to raise the $2.3million needed. Please join us in this exciting and historical moment to invest in the magic of High Meadows! Click here to go to the donation page and choose 50th Anniversary Campaign from the menu to support this new building.

  • How big will the building be? How many classrooms? What programs are going there? 

    The interior of the building will be 6,367 square feet. The patio and decking will be around 1,000 square feet. Inside this two-story building will be three classrooms and a larger community/conference room. It will house our Environmental Sustainability classes on the upper floor and two Middle Years classes on the lower floor.  Additionally, we have two office spaces for administrative use and a larger “common room” that our Middle Years team will utilize as needed.  At the back of the building, we have designed a large, multi-level deck space that provides ample space for outdoor learning and will ultimately provide direct access to a new wetland teaching area.

  • How will this project enhance the overall student experience on our campus?

    This new classroom building will offer our community much-needed additional space to learn, to experiment, to connect, and to collaborate. Furthermore, the building will have the unique advantage of being proximate to a campus wetland area that can be fully utilized as an outdoor classroom. This location also provides direct access for students of all ages to the lower meadows, the barnyard, and wooded areas of our campus. This building will be utilized by every age on campus. 

  • How does this new facility impact our enrollment? Are you building this new facility so you can increase High Meadows enrollment?  

    This project is targeted specifically to replace classroom spaces that were temporary in nature or do not support our program effectively.  While new spaces can attract new interest in our school, this building is not designed to “grow enrollment.”  Rather, we are creating intentional and dedicated spaces for our unique programming while supporting our mission. The building will help us comfortably support healthy enrollment numbers and provide classroom spaces for critical programs.  

  • When was the last time High Meadows built a classroom building?  

    The Early Years, Elementary and Middle Years buildings we all constructed in the late 1990’s. We have not built a classroom building since that time.  
The High Meadows community celebrates and perpetuates each individual’s quest for knowledge and skill, sense of wonder, and connection to the natural environment. We empower each to be a compassionate, responsible, and active global citizen.
Age 3 through Grade 8 | Authorized IB PYP World School
1055 Willeo Road, Roswell, Georgia 30075 | (770) 993-2940 | info@highmeadows.org