Photos and video of the event can be found here.
Drone video of the construction, renderings, and a construction postcard can be found here.
News Release
Roosevelt Middle School's Campus Transformation Begins, Marking Second Historical School to Undergo Construction in the San Diego Cluster
April 9, 2024
SAN DIEGO - One of the first junior high schools in San Diego is getting a major campus upgrade.
On Tuesday, jazz and orchestra students at Roosevelt Middle School greeted parents and district leaders to celebrate the start of a campus renovation. which will bring a new student services and state-of-the-art classroom facility, convert existing offices to classrooms, create a south parking lot with a student drop-off and pick-up area, and enhance school security and sustainability.
"We look forward to new facilities that will enhance student learning," said Bernard Steinberger, Principal of Roosevelt Middle School. "Every student deserves a safe and secure campus and classrooms that inspire them to learn and succeed."
Opened in September 1922 as Roosevelt Junior High School, Roosevelt joined Memorial Junior High School as one of the first junior high schools in San Diego.
Now an International Baccalaureate school, Roosevelt Middle offers courses in Spanish Language Immersion, world languages, integrated math for high school credit, and community-minded projects for 8th-grade students, with electives in band, orchestra, digital music, art, Gateway to Technology, ASB, and yearbook.
"San Diego Unified is proud to offer Dual Language and IB Programs like the one here at Roosevelt, giving all students the chance to learn a new language," Superintendent Dr. Lamont Jackson said.
The main campus entryway along Upas Street will include new student services, a classroom facility, and a visitor parking area. The existing student services building will be completely renovated and converted into a classroom facility with new furniture and flooring, LED lighting, mechanical systems, roofing, and modern technology.
Site security and sustainability will be enhanced campus-wide. New perimeter fencing, cameras, a public address system, and fire alarm equipment will be added throughout the campus, and solar panels will be installed in a new parking lot along Zoo Drive. A student drop-off and pick-up area will be created in the new parking lot.
The project follows a Whole Site Modernization project at the city's oldest high school, San Diego High School. The 142-year-old campus started construction in late 2021 to transform the campus frontage on Park Boulevard, expand the central campus quad, and renovate classrooms and student support spaces.
"San Diegans continue to invest in our schools by passing local bond measures that greatly impact our students," Board of Education Trustee Richard Barrera said. "Soon, two of our longest-standing schools will have facilities that will make families, students, and alumni proud."
Construction on the Roosevelt Middle project is estimated to be completed in the summer of 2026.
San Diego Unified's capital projects are funded by the district's Propositions S and Z, and Measures YY and U, local bond measures approved by San Diego voters to repair, renovate, and revitalize neighborhood schools.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Jamie Ries, Information Services Specialist, San Diego Unified, 619-855-9283, jries@sandi.net.
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