Work
Pickerington Central Junior High School
Client: Pickerington Local Schools
Location: Pickerington, Ohio
  • Classrooms are clustered around open pods with mobile furnishings for small-group and creative work.
  • Custom-designed STEM and robotics laboratories are engineered for hands-on, technical education.
  • A central media center and flexible learning zones encourage student collaboration.
  • Tech-ready classrooms feature large interactive touchscreens for modern instruction.
Prioritizing Safety & Peace of Mind: Student safety was built into the layout from day one. The school uses a single secure entrance for visitors and a wing-based design that lets staff lock down specific areas independently without making the building feel closed off during normal school days.
Architecture|Interior Design|Engineering

To manage growing student enrollment, Pickerington Local Schools partnered with SHP to design a new 143,000sf junior high building. Serving 1,300 students, the facility brings modern learning spaces to life while serving as the operational catalyst that eases capacity crowding across the district. Key aspects of the design were driven by stakeholder feedback from department-level teacher workshops and student advisory sessions.

"The building gives us the opportunity to thoughtfully realign space across the district in ways that better serve students at multiple grade levels... Maximizing our facilities, easing capacity challenges and ensuring our learning environments continue to support student success now and into the future."
– Dr. Charles Smialek, Superintendent (via City Scene Columbus)
"We designed the building around how students learn today, while creating flexible spaces that can easily adapt as teaching methods and educational priorities evolve tomorrow."
– Kyle Miller, Project Manager

Recommended for You