Great Facilities

Dutch Ridge Elementary School: A Building for Today and Tomorrow

The Beaver Area School District holds firmly to the principle that education involves the development of the whole person, and that children can achieve their greatest potential in a positive learning environment. These two premises have been fully embodied in the design of the Dutch Ridge Elementary School. This facility combines the best of technological resources with a safe, bright and comfortable surrounding that addresses the intellectual, physical, social and emotional needs of children.  Many of the innovative concepts employed here are the result of input from a community-wide effort to create a school with the best and brightest ideas.

The school is in every respect a state-of-the-art facility.  It has a capacity to serve 700 students from Kindergarten to the sixth grades.  This includes 32 regular classrooms plus separate classrooms for special education and other small group activities. The center of the building includes a spacious, airy library; a multi-purpose gymnasium and stage; a computer center; a community room; and an arts center with a visual arts classroom and two music rooms. The total building complex covers 108,000 square feet, and is situated on 50 acres of land, including 35 acres suitable for future development.

Middle School-High School

The Middle School/High School is a 205,490 sq. ft. facility with a capacity for 1,372 students in grades 7 to 12. It is situated on a 41-acre site, with 31 classrooms, three special education classrooms, nine science labs, two business labs, three computer labs, two music rooms for band, orchestra and chorus, one homemaking room, one computerized technical education room, a 5,150 sq. ft. library, a 1,000 seat auditorium with stage, a 144-seat theater, two gymnasiums, a television studio, a 400-seat cafeteria and a natatorium.

The building was renovated and rededicated on May 4, 1997, designed for the 21st century, and reflecting a community commitment to public education. The Middle School came into existence in 1991 when the school board committed to a philosophy which better meets the developmental needs of the middle school-aged student. A principal feature of the renovation was the design of a facility to separate as much as possible the middle school students from the high school students.

Highlights of the completely renovated building include a transformed high technology library; data/telecommunications networks; an energy efficient building shell with a sloped metal roof and new heating and cooling systems; spaces dedicated to the arts, music, theater, sciences, technology education, physical education and wellness; instructional and team planning; an enlarged cafeteria; office suites; and new tennis courts and running track.

The building is designed around the concept of a “learning community.” The goals are to have spaces conducive to teams of learners, to provide a technological infrastructure which will serve well into the 21st century, and to have a facility which is invitational to all learners in the community. Symbolic of the connections from the rich educational heritage of the past to the future is the bell which rang for Beaver’s first high school students. Now hanging in the tower above the school’s entrance, it is a constant reminder of the community’s enduring commitment to quality education and learning.

Renovations at College Square

The board has approved the fast track renovation of the College Square Elementary School building. The estimated date for completion is August 2009, with the facility to serve students from kindergarten through sixth grade. The building’s architectural design theme will continue the “neighborhood concept” embracing the Victorian charm of the Beaver community. For more information, click here.