DEWITT -- A new Learning Commons is set to be built on the site of the the Manlius Pebble Hill School in DeWitt.
The school is announcing that the nearly 9,300 square foot facility will be a library, media and technology center for students. The cost is estimated to be $2.8 million. School leaders say the project is being funded through a multi-year capital campaign. School leaders say fundraising is continuing for construction of a student center expected to open in the fall of 2014, for a new playground, and for additional campus renovations.
The new center is being named in honor of Bradley McNeil who was part of the class of 1993. He died 11 years after graduating from MPH.
Here's what school officials say the new Learning Commons will have: A multimedia and distance learning classroom; Separate spaces for students in different grade levels; Infrastructure that will meet changing technology needs.
"One of the most critical skills we can help our students develop is the ability to break away from singular pursuits into effective and broad collaboration," said Scott Wiggins, head of MPH. "Their success in the world will depend on that ability to share information and work in tandem with others to innovate and problem-solve."
Construction of the new building will begin in June and is scheduled to be done before the start of the 2014-2015 school year.
