The 1st Infantry Division and Fort Riley in conjunction with Unified School District 475 held a ground breaking ceremony, Tuesday afternoon for a brand new middle school. Superintendent of USD 475, Ron Walker; Ft. Riley Senior Commander, Brigadier General Donald M. MacWillie; and USD475 Principal, Joe Handlos were in attendance for the event.
USD 475 received a 35.2 million dollar grant from the Department of Defense for the construction of the school. To date, the Department of Defense has provided USD 475 and Kansas with 71 million dollars for schools. All of these projects have used Kansas Companies that pay state taxes and used building materials from Kansas.
Upon completion, the new middle school will be a LEED Silver certifiable building, making it the second “green” addition to the district. The new facility will house a high-tech Media Hub and Student lounge that will transform the way students are able to collaborate and learn.