In April 2023, the GFW school board approved the construction of a K-12 school at 1157 E 13th Street Gibbon. After over two years of planning, designing and construction, the new building is nearing completion. Though construction continues at the new building, it opens Wednesday, Sept. 3 for Kindergarten through 5th Grade students.

GFW Superintendent Allen Berg said the building will be open if phases with the younger students returning first. For the first half of the school year, 6th-12th grade student will continue to attending school at the Winthrop building as construction on the middle/high School wing continues. Berg said the plan is to moved the older student into the new building after winter break.

“Everything is future ready,” Berg said.

Major construction of the elementary wing of the new GFW building was completed mid-August. Staff were allowed into this section of the school to get their classroom ready, though they still had to wear hard hats and vests. By opening day, the hard hats and vests will not be necessary.

The new Gibbon Fairfax Winthrop (GFW) K-12 school located at 1157 E 13th Street, Gibbon will see its first students Wednesday, Sept. 3. The elementary school wing of the building is ready to open. Students in K-5th grade will attend class in the new building as construction continues on the middle/high School wing.

Berg was impressed with the work construction crews did. He said nearly all the lights and panels were added in only a few days. He praised Krause Anderson and Wold Architects for their meticulous work.

Though construction will continue on the middle/high school section of the school, the work should not interfere with elementary classes.

Berg led a tour of the new building last week showing off the progress made. One of the first things visitors will notice while visiting the new school is it has secure entrances in the building. Berg said this may seem like a small feature, but it is a first for GFW buildings.

From the front entrance, visitors will enter the commons area of the school. This is the section of the school used by the elementary, middle and high school.

Berg said use of the commons area will be the most challenging part of the phased opening because elementary students will need to use it, but the middle/ high school side still has construction. Berg said part of the commons area will be blocked off as the other wing is under construction.

Gibbon Fairfax Winthrop (GFW) superintendent Allen Berg shows off the newly constructed K-12 school building. The elementary wing of the school is ready for students with the middle and high school student.

He said one of the unique aspects of the commons area and mezzanine level, is it was designed to look like a railroad depot with the hallways and corridors were inspired by railway lines. Berg said this was a way of connecting the school to Gibbon, Fairfax and Winthrop as railway towns.

The commons area serves as cafeteria space for the school, however the connected kitchen is not completed yet. This means meals will need to be delivered to the new building from the former site until the kitchen is ready.

A performing arts center will connect to the commons area, but will not be completed until March 2026.

The new school will have three full-size basketball courts. Center court will have a four sided video screens core board. This is similar to professional arenas. Batting cages can be lowered from the ceiling. When complete, the gym will seat 1,500.

The school was designed to be more than a school, but also an asset to the community. The new fitness center in the school will eventually be open for public use outside of school hours.

GFW Kindergarten teacher Shelby Hartmann wears a hard hat and safety vest to ready her classroom

The school will also have a day care center space. Berg said it is a fantastic program for the community. There will be direct access to the day care space for parents to pick up their kids.

The classrooms in the school were designed to meet the demands of the next generations of learners.

Hallways outside of the classroom have additional spaces for flexible learning. Some of the classrooms have a small library stock with books that are age appropriate for the class. There are also reading intervention rooms. Berg said the rooms are for the students who need one-on-one intervention and extra resources, but are located near the classroom to limit travel time for students.

Berg said these flex spaces can also be used with the school’s dual language program, which is extremely popular at GFW.

The second floor of the school has a motor sensory room designed as a break room for kids. The room is similar to a miniature indoor playground with rings and climbing spaces.

Superintendent Allen Berg in the new building’s sensory room.

These are popular for letting kids let off steam in a safe indoor environment.

Berg said one of his favorite rooms in the new building is the art room, located above the schools large arched windows. The peaks of the windows will reach into the art room, which Berg said is fitting.

The school will have a Career and Technical Education (CTE) Center. The space is large enough for students to work in two-story structure. A large hanger door will allow large projects to move in and out of the space. A car lift station will be added to the CTE center later in the year.

One of the first teachers to setup a classroom in the new building was Kindergarten teacher Shelby Hartmann. This is Hartmann’s 11th year as a GFW Kindergarten teacher and she is eager to get started in the new building.

“I am very excited to be in a new space and have students in a new building,” she said. “I am just excited to have all our students together. With a K-12 building, you can bring the big kids in to help with the little kids.”

Hartmann said it would also be a chance to see her first students again. The Kindergarten class she taught 11 years ago is now old enough to drive, she said.

Berg said he worked in a K-12 school before coming to GFW and believed it was the best setup for all grades. He said there are people who feel the older kids can serve as a role model for the younger students, but Berg believes it works the other way too.

“I’ve seen older kids be on their best behavior when the younger kids are around,” he said. “They want to set a good example.”

Berg believes that paired with modern programing, the new school building will help secure the district educational future.

“It’s a great opportunity for GFW, but it is what we do on the inside that matters most,” Berg said.