Supai students symbolically broke ground November 2 for a new replacement middle school on the existing campus. Actual construction is set to begin later this month, with completion planned for next August.

The existing structures, with the exception of the gym, practical arts building, and music building, are planned to be demolished next June after students leave for summer vacation. These three remaining buildings, roughly 35,000 square feet, will be renovated as part of the overall project. New athletic fields also will be constructed next fall on the site of the demolished buildings.

The new school, roughly 70,000 square feet, will be rebuilt primarily with 1997 bond funds, with a small amount coming from Students First funding and other sources. Total replacement cost, including a contingency, is set at $11.09 million.

Supai opened in the fall of 1959 as a K-8 facility, but was converted in the fall of 1981 to a middle school for seventh- and eighth-graders.

Teachers, parents, and community members met during May to participate in the design concept for the school. Earlier this year, on March 13, the Governing Board approved the reallocation of $8.5 million from School Facilities Board bond offset funding to help rebuild Supai.

The new Supai will be built according to current district facility standards, similar to other new middle schools in the Scottsdale Unified School District.

The construction team for the project includes: Gould Evans & Associates, Phoenix, architect; McCarthy Building Co., Phoenix, contractor; and 3D/International, Phoenix, project manager.

The Scottsdale Unified School District has 34 school facilities serving about 28,000 students. More than 3,000 persons are employed by the district, including 1,829 teachers. The district celebrated its 100^th anniversary in 1996 and its boundaries include most, but not all of the city of Scottsdale, all of the town of Paradise Valley, a section of the city of Phoenix, and a section of the city of Tempe.
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