Sycamore Community Schools Completes Several Projects as Part of its $127.5M Building Program

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 17, 2023

CONTACT:
Karen Holtman
kholtman@shp.com | 513.381.2112

 

 

Cincinnati – Sycamore Community School District, one of Ohio’s top-ranking school districts, recently announced the completion and future completion dates of several construction projects across four schools and five campuses.

The Sycamore Community School District, which serves 5,300 students in the Cincinnati neighborhoods of Blue Ash, Montgomery, Sycamore Township and Symmes Township, worked with architecture, interior design and engineering firm SHP on the design and construction of the projects, which include:

  • An addition to and renovation of Symmes Elementary – Completed Jan. 3, 2022
  • New construction and renovation of E.H. Greene Intermediate School – Completed Sept. 2, 2022
  • New construction of Sycamore Fieldhouse and Stadium – Completed Sept. 16, 2022
  • Phased renovation of Sycamore High School – Anticipated Completion Aug. 1, 2023
  • New construction of Sycamore Transportation – Anticipated Completion Aug. 1, 2023
  • New construction of Sycamore Junior High School – Anticipated Completion Oct. 1, 2023

Led by SHP, and in collaboration with the Sycamore Board of Education, each project underwent a rigorous educational visioning, historical analysis and planning process–which included input from district staff and community members–beginning with an assessment of the district’s current facilities and followed by the Master Facility Planning process. In the Spring of 2019, the board approved SHP’s $127.5 million Master Plan. This led to a bond issue which was approved by the Sycamore taxpayers in the fall of that year. By 2020, the design phase was in progress; the phased construction schedule began shortly thereafter in October 2020.

“The Sycamore projects were really for the benefit of the entire community as a whole, not just the students, but also the faculty, taxpayers and families that live there,” said SHP Design Director, Gregor Lewis. “By having the opportunity to work on four schools total and three that serve students district-wide, we were able to reinforce the continuity of educational delivery for everyone.”

Symmes Elementary School

Symmes Elementary underwent a phased renovation and a 69,000-square-foot addition that included four new preschool classrooms, six new kindergarten classrooms, a new kitchen and a stage addition to the gymnasium. The reimagined PK-4 elementary school building aims to excite young learners for their journey through Sycamore Community Schools. This project was completed on Jan. 3, 2022.

E.H. Greene Intermediate School is a 115,000-square-foot facility that features modernized classrooms, labs and music rooms, a new drop-off area separating car and bus parking and progressive technology integrated throughout, creating a 21st-century learning environment for Sycamore’s fifth and sixth graders. The school opened to the public and its students prior to the start of the 2022-23 school year, allowing students to begin the transition into the new facility.

Sycamore Junior High School

The soon-to-be-complete Sycamore Junior High School will include state-of-the-art classrooms and an 850-seat theater that fits the entire 7th and 8th-grade student body and supports community-use events. Tying back to the district-wide theme of continuity, the design of the new 170,000-square-foot facility supports adolescent learners during their journey through Sycamore City Schools.

Sycamore High School

The phased renovation of the 330,000-square-foot Sycamore High School, scheduled to open in Fall 2023, will transform the previously existing school into a 21st Century learning center that will encourage students to be forward-thinking regarding college or a professional career. After completion, the facility will include renovated classrooms that double as flexible, collaborative areas, improved security, site circulations, restrooms, improved sports facilities and student dining.

Other Improvements

SHP also made upgrades to the school’s athletic program including a new 4,200-seat stadium with a press box, turf and a community gathering space, completed in September, as well as improvements to its bus compound and transportation services, which are set to be finalized on Aug. 1, 2023.

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SHP is a team of dynamic architects, designers and engineers who maximize the utility, beauty, and wonder of space. The firm applies its signature expertise and passion—as well as a multidisciplinary approach—to create lasting environments that simply help people engage in better human experiences. Learn more about SHP’s planning, architecture, interior design, engineering, construction administration and facilities management services at SHP.com.

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