The Middle School Gateway Center marks the second phase in a multi-year, multi-million-dollar reimagination of the Middle School campus on Academy Road.
Beyond The Threshold News
Tom Beischer '87, Andy Crawford '97 and Margie Gudaitis Hess '07 have committed to giving back and staying connected to DA.
The two-story Gateway Center will house core academic classrooms and labs, and will include an administrative wing with integrated student support space.
Since the opening of the Middle School Arts & World Languages Center in March, students and faculty have gotten a big taste of what it’s like to learn and teach in a facility on par with the quality of a Durham Academy education. And now, the next step in a plan to transform the entire Middle School is underway, with the Gateway Center site prepared for construction to begin.
The first phase of a complete reimagination of the Middle School campus — the Arts & World Languages Center — was completed in early March. The 42,000-square-foot facility opened to Middle School students on March 22.
Thanks to drone footage, students in the Middle School’s Science In Action class are keeping up with progress on the Middle School’s Arts and Languages Center — and continuing to think about its relationship to the ecology of the greater community.
The new outdoor commons opened this morning with stepped seating, a brick pavilion, covered performance space, a multipurpose recreational space and a panoramic view of DA’s athletic fields.
We came to Durham Academy — from many directions and with varied roles — because we sensed a shared commitment to excellence. That commitment manifests in our life-changing faculty; the vibrancy of our arts, sports and community service programs; and the vigor with which we help students build their best selves.
The following provides a snapshot of the DA Campus Plan in action: a student lens on the STEM wing’s first few months in operation; designs for the upcoming humanities wing and what will become the double-decker building’s former footprint; and a comprehensive reimagining of the Middle School. With each phase, DA opens the doors to 21st century excellence, inspiring new generations of teachers and students.
From Preschoolers who will frequent the halls of the new Upper School STEM and Humanities Center in a decade, to alumni, parents and faculty who understand just how great of an impact the new building will have on learning, STEM enthusiasts of all ages marveled as they wandered the halls of the new state-of-the-art building on Aug. 20. They gathered for a ribbon-cutting celebrating the completion of the STEM wing of the two-story, 46,000-square-foot facility.
Durham Academy’s Board of Trustees has approved a multi-phased Middle School campus master plan that involves every building on the Academy Road campus.