Madison School District Breaks Ground on New Elementary School

Nov. 29, 2010 - PRLog -- Phoenix, Arizona (November 29, 2010) -The Madison School District community will gather at 3:00 p.m. on December 1, 2010 to break ground on the new Madison Traditional Academy (MTA).  The site, located at 10th Street and Maryland in Phoenix, was acquired as a permanent site for the traditional school which has been leasing an office building for several years.

The new school will serve 650 children in Grades kindergarten through 8.  The $8.2 million 58,000 square foot project will bring 2 new two-story classroom buildings for students, a single-story administration area, media center, multi-purpose room with kitchen, and a gymnasium.  It is located on a 5 acre parcel of land that will include on-site parking, playcourts and 2 play fields. There is also a large courtyard at the center of classroom complex planned to provide students an area to gather and circulate in a safe and secure outdoor environment.

“This gives Madison Traditional Academy the opportunity to grow and serve its students with the same facilities and opportunities as all Madison schools,” said Madison Governing Board President Pamela Kelly. The existing site has reached its maximum capacity and utilizes a nearby park for play areas. Student performances are held at other schools due to lack of space for a large audience.

MTA follows a traditional curriculum focusing on Spalding Phonics, Saxon Math, and Core Knowledge. Students wear uniforms and parental involvement is required. It is a school of choice -- meaning there are no attendance boundaries and parents are responsible for transportation. “Since MTA’s inception in 2007, the school has attracted families from all across the city and has always had a waiting list. We are excited to have found a permanent home that will allow MTA to continue to grow and succeed,” said Madison Superintendent Tim Ham.

McCarthy Building Companies was selected as the general contractor on the project, and Orcutt/Winslow is the architect, and used books as inspiration for the project design.  The roof lines are analogous to the image of an open book and the walls are designed to have a rich texture resembling the pages of a book.

The school is expected to be completed in August 2011 just in time for the new school year.  Bond proceeds, approved by Madison voters in 2009, are being used to fund the construction of the school.

About McCarthy Building Companies:
McCarthy Building Companies Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and largest commercial builders and among the top ten in education facility construction. The firm has been building in the education sector for more than 50 years. The McCarthy Southwest Division is based in Tempe, Ariz. The firm also has offices in Newport Beach, San Diego, Sacramento and San Francisco, Calif.; Albuquerque; Las Vegas; Dallas; St. Louis and Atlanta.  McCarthy is 100 percent employee-owned. More information is available at www.mccarthy.com.

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