School district to celebrate new elementary school with ribbon cutting
September 15, 2017
Moorhead Area Public Schools will celebrate the completion of the district’s new K-4 elementary school during a ribbon cutting Sept. 26 as part of homecoming week.
The ribbon cutting will be at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 26 at Dorothy Dodds Elementary School, 4400 24th Ave. S., Moorhead. Fargo-Moorhead Chamber Ambassadors will celebrate with the school district at the ribbon cutting. An opportunity to tour the school will follow the ribbon cutting.
The formal dedication ceremony and school tours will be held in February 2018 to celebrate the completion of the district’s construction and renovation projects approved by voters in November 2015. The dedication ceremony will be held after construction is done at the Horizon Middle School Campus.
About the construction projects
The community and the school district have been growing steadily since 2005 and that growth is projected to continue. To accommodate this growth and provide students with the 21st century learning experiences they need to succeed, Moorhead Area Public Schools engaged in an extensive community-driven facilities planning process in 2014-15.
The facilities task force process created a 10-year Facilities Master Plan for the district to address current and future needs. This plan led to the Nov. 3, 2015 bond referendum to invest $78.2 million in renovation of existing schools and construction of new space.
The bond referendum provided for growth and learning by:
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Adding secure entries in school buildings;
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Creating adequate and appropriate learning environments for students from early childhood through grade 8;
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Building a K-4 elementary;
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Building a grades 5-6 school connected to Horizon Middle School to create a shared grades 5-8 campus reducing transitions for students;
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Building an auditorium for school and community use at Horizon Middle School; and
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Returning Probstfield Center for Education to an early childhood and district education center focused on the needs of our youngest learners.
The new Dorothy Dodds Elementary School, the new Horizon Middle School West Campus for grades 5-6, and the three newly renovated elementary schools opened Sept. 5 for the 2017-18 school year. Construction continues at Horizon West with the north academic wing scheduled for completion in November and the auditorium to be completed by February 2018.
About Dorothy Dodds
Dorothy Dodds Elementary School was named in honor of Dorothy Dodds, a 1941 Moorhead High School graduate. She taught kindergarten at the Moorhead State Campus School from 1949 until it closed in 1972, and then she taught in Minnesota State University Moorhead’s education department until retiring in 1986. A lifelong educator and advocate for children, Dodds was inducted into the Moorhead High School Hall of Honor in 2012.
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