Sioux Falls Christian Schools
By: Frances Putman
In 2000, both Calvin Christian School and Sioux Falls Christian High School, located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, were experiencing tremendous growth. Leaders of both schools began looking for ways to keep up with the burgeoning enrollment. One solution would be to combine the two schools—Calvin Christian, which served students in grades K-6, and Sioux Falls Christian High School, which served students in grades 7-12. By selling one or both schools, there would be enough money to build a larger school and make room for more students.
“The boards of both schools got together to discuss merging, and I was very impressed with the way they were able to work together,” said Robin Miller, chief executive officer of Miller Sellers Heroux Architects in Sioux Falls.
If changes were not made, both schools would likely have had to turn students away, and that was something neither school wanted to do. Approximately 92 percent of both boards voted to combine the schools. Soon after, property was selected, and Miller Sellers Heroux Architects was hired to create a master plan for the new school.
“Christian schools are different in what they teach and how they teach it,” noted Miller. “We asked administrators, ‘How does what you teach and how you teach it affect the building, not just symbolically, but functionally?’”
Older students mentoring younger students was an important concept to the school, so it was vital that the students share some common areas, while not being together at all times. A prayer room was an important element, as well as a separate office for parent volunteers working on ongoing fundraising projects throughout the year.
The point, Miller said, is that Christian schools have unique needs, and it often won’t work to simply take plans designed for a public school and use them to build a successful Christian school.
Though both school facilities were placed for sale on the real-estate market, the high school was the first to sell. With that, construction began on the new school facility, with the first phase being the common core area, including the administrative offices, cafeteria, gymnasium, prayer room, locker rooms and utilities and boiler plant, as well as the sections designated for the middle school and high school grades. Moving grades 5 and 6 out of the elementary building also allowed the school to implement a preschool program and provide more space for growth in the lower grades.
Plans are underway for the second phase, a 55,223-square-foot addition, which will bring all of the students under one roof.
Materials used in that second phase will be similar to those used in the first, including pre-cast, tilt-up concrete and concrete masonry units on the exterior, along with a rubber-adhered roof. Concrete masonry units were used on all classroom walls to reduce outside noise, though drywall on metal studs was used for wall construction in other areas.
In other cost-saving measures, the floors of the art rooms were left as concrete, and duct socks in the cafeteria were left exposed. Not only did it save in ceiling costs, but by choosing vibrant school colors for the duct socks, they actually became a nice design element.
There was some discussion about whether or not air conditioning was necessary, as there are only a few weeks in the South Dakota school year when the system might be used. However, units were installed. Also, Miller said, it has become common for schools to create windows that cannot be opened in individual classrooms. With some teachers opening them and others leaving them closed, the varying temperatures can potentially affect the heating and cooling systems. But school leaders chose windows that can be opened individually.
Carpet was installed in classrooms, and vinyl tile was used in corridors. Ceramic tile, which the school was able to get at a very good price, was selected in three colors and two different sizes for use on floors and walls in entryways, restrooms and locker rooms.
Miller said one of the biggest reasons this project was successful was the willingness of everyone involved to put aside their own interests.
“Everyone was saying, ‘How can we work together?’” he noted. “That’s what made this project happen.”
In addition to the cooperation between the schools, boards and parents, there also has been a great deal of cooperation from the community. The property chosen for the school is adjacent to a local Christian college. Sioux Falls Christian Schools donated some of its land to the college, which is working on a major field project. A local businessman also donated some adjacent property he owned for the field project. When completed, Sioux Falls Christian Schools will have access to the college’s three top-notch football fields and soccer fields, which are located on 30 acres between the school and college campuses.
“The giving, cooperative nature has been incredible to see,” Miller concluded.
Established in 1989, Miller Sellers Heroux Architects, www.msharch.com, located in Sioux Falls, SD, works primarily with private clients in the fields of education, healthcare, retail and sports recreation.
Fast Facts
School: Sioux Falls Christian Schools
Location: Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Number of Students: 1,200
Grades Served: The school serves students in preschool through grade 12, but this particular facility is currently for grades 5 through 12.
Architect: Miller Sellers Heroux Architects, Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Project Goal: Design a new school facility for two merging Christian schools
Size: 101,630 square feet
Cost: $8.1 million
The Challenge: The school originally contacted the architectural firm about the project in 2001, when a rate of just over $80 a square foot was discussed. It was two years later when the school was ready to build. Although the costs of some materials had increased significantly since the original quote, the school needed to stay within the same budget.
The Solution: Architects carefully reviewed the plans to find areas where material costs could be lowered without affecting the quality of construction. Some changes were made, including constructing some interior, non-classroom walls of drywall and metal studs, rather than the concrete masonry units used between classrooms.
