The Norman (Okla.) school district has held a grand opening ceremony to mark the opening of a new alternative education school.
The Norman Transcript reports that Dimensions Academy provides alternative education programs, along with social and emotional resources, for Norman K-12 students who need extra support.
Dimensions’ new space in a renovated building is the result of the $186 million 2019 school bond, which earmarked over $11.8 million to create and equip a new space for Dimensions.
Before this school year, primary and secondary Dimensions students were split between two buildings; the new campus houses all students in one building.
“Dimensions really is the crown jewel of the 2019 bond,” district Superintendent Nick Migliorino said at Tuesday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The new building has already breathed new excitement into Dimensions’ students and faculty. Scott Olsen has taught with Dimensions for 13 years, most of those spent in the school’s old facility. There, he taught in state-owned converted dormitories.
“To be able to go from a state facility to a school is amazing,” Olsen said.
The upgraded space gives Dimensions’ students and faculty access to facilities they’ve never had before, including an on-campus gym and a commercial kitchen. The building has a furnished apartment space with a kitchen, washer and dryer, unisex bathroom with a shower, and multiple seating or lounge areas to teach students about home and life skills.
The new space is the result of numerous community partnerships, district leaders say.
