Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1321225
14 PEA RIDGE HIGH SCHOOL | 12.30.2020 All eyes are on the future By Randy Rice Behind the striking new high school complex and the school district's innovative approach to education, there has remained one focus: the future. How will PRHS graduates meet the challenges of tomorrow and what will be their contribution to society? The future has been the district's North Star. "The opportunity of opening a new facility really helps you examine your current reality and where you want to go," Anne Martfeld, Assistant Superintendent said. "The community in Northwest Arkansas just evolves so quickly you can hardly keep up. So, it's never been more important for our school structure to not stagnate over time. As educators, it is essential that we stay flexible as we move into the future." With this in mind, the new high school doesn't just focus on where education in Pea Ridge is in 2020, it is designed to allow for growth and change going forward. To accommodate both the student and community needs of the future as well as the present. The space itself is nontraditional because you're looking at a building that is designed to grow with population and to allow for flexibility. "For example, we have a classroom that is built to meet computer science or computer programming needs of today," Anne said. "But if in two years that evolves to say, drone technology or to robotics, those spaces are designed to evolve to meet that need as opposed to being super tight their structure. I think that that's the beauty of the new facility, is it allows for a lot of creative space and movement." That growth potential is also evident in the new Fine Arts Center. "It is designed to be a traditional Fine Arts performance space," Anne continued. "But the whole back half of it can ...it's never been more important for our school structure to not stagnate over time. As educators, it is essential that we stay flexible as we move into the future. " Anne Martfeld Assistant Superintendent