Construction has begun for THRIVE Academy’s new 43,000-square-foot academic building, which will have a cafeteria, gym, health center, classrooms and a science lab.
The construction is a milestone for the school, which renovated the former Catholic Deaf Center on Brightside Drive for classroom use, according to Executive Director Sarah Broome.
“It’ll be the first time in seven years we’ve had a room that’s supposed to be a classroom actually be a classroom,” says Broome, who founded the school in 2011.
The charter school’s permanent campus broke ground in 2015, with students moving in after the first dorm was completed in August 2016. With no official learning facility, students and teachers have been using the multi-purpose as temporary academic space.
Construction for the new building is estimated to cost $9 million. The entire project is estimated to cost $11 million and is scheduled to be finished by next school year.
The former Catholic Deaf Center will be repurposed into a residential life center for students with a weight room, fitness room and technology center.
