School districts are confronting a complex challenge: how to modernize aging campuses while preserving the history and memories that generations of families hold dear.��This challenge��isn’t��just a construction assignment —��it’s��a responsibility. And the path to success begins with one essential step: listening.��

Community Listening: The Foundation of Every Great��School Campus Renovation��

Many��contractors��can renovate a school, but when construction and design teams��seek input from the community��about what makes��a��school unique, those qualities can be reflected in the��renovated school campus.��McCarthy��Building Companies’��Education team��members��regularly��participate��in parent forums, neighborhood workshops, teacher feedback��sessions��and design charrettes to uncover ideas that may not otherwise��come to the surface��when a school renovation is being planned.��Listening efforts often reveal traditions,��symbols��or architectural elements that help anchor a campus’��reimagined��identity.��

At Galveston Elementary School in Arizona’s Chandler Unified School District — opened in 1963 — these conversations shaped the direction of the school’s $35 million transformation. Community members shared memories of outdoor gathering spaces that once served as the heart of campus life. Their insights guided the design of new shade structures, flexible courtyards and shared areas that blend nostalgia with modern learning environments.��

“It doesn’t matter how sophisticated the design plans are — if the campus doesn’t reflect the heart of the community, something is missing,”��said��Matt Lyons,��business unit leader with McCarthy’s Education team in Phoenix. “The best��campus��renovations��happen when we infuse the school’s heritage directly into the new build.”��

Shifting Campus��Learning Environments��to Meet��Modern Education��Needs��

Today’s students pursue a broader range of interests than ever — spanning arts, STEM, CTE, athletics��and more. As a result, modernizing and��remodeling K-12 campuses��increasingly includes��adding or expanding��multipurpose spaces, flexible classrooms and outdoor teaching areas designed for multidisciplinary learning.��

The new Galveston Elementary campus��transitioned its traditional learning space to include��arts-focused classrooms, multipurpose collaboration zones, outdoor learning��spaces��and flexible��environments that support both small-group instruction and larger activities. Teachers and administrators emphasized��the need for��spaces that make hands-on learning creative,��social��and academically connected.��

Two major Phoenix-based��renovations now underway��— Madison Rose Lane Elementary School and Metro Tech High School��— are incorporating similar principles.��

As one of the oldest schools in Madison’s 135-year-old district, Madison Rose Lane carries significant historic value. Early listening sessions revealed a desire to honor the school’s legacy through preserved architectural��elements,��pathway updates reflecting original circulation patterns and spaces that highlight its longstanding arts identity.��

The remodel will also deliver expanded arts classrooms, enhanced safety features, outdoor learning��areas��and flexible indoor environments that can adapt as student needs��evolve.��

“Working with McCarthy has been a collaborative and inspiring experience. Through the listening sessions, their team actively engaged with us, gathering ideas and finding solutions,” said��Andre��Reyes, Madison Rose Lane��Principal.��“They showed a real commitment to understanding what makes Madison Rose Lane special, and in doing so, they are building a school that our students, teachers and community truly deserve. We always say that Madison Rose Lane CARES, and McCarthy has exemplified that same spirit of care and partnership throughout this process.”  ��

Metro Tech High School — originally opened as West High in 1949 and repurposed as a vocational school in 1985 — is also undergoing��major��modernization. Today, Metro Tech is one of Phoenix Union’s most dynamic CTE-focused campuses, yet its facilities require��significant��updates��to��match��modern technological capabilities and��modern career training��program��needs.��

Metro Tech High School Principal Shawna Wright said, “This renovation shifts��what’s��possible for our students in real, tangible ways.��We’re��not just updating walls and equipment.��We’re��building collaborative spaces that will give students the skills they need to exceed in jobs we have not even imagined yet.”��

Local businesses,��neighbors,��faculty��and students��were engaged to��provide��DLR Group and McCarthy��input on��Metro Tech’s��campus remodel.��As a result, the��campus is��adding new collaborative labs��with��space for��future program��growth; technology infrastructure��updates; and��improving��the campus��flow��to��enhance the student experience.��Adding to the��project’s��complexity is the sequencing of��eight��construction��phases on the active campus, where safety is a priority, while accommodating the successful renovation and relocation of��the ballfields, gymnasium,��utilities��and parking lot.����

Hands-On Learning: Bringing Students��into��the��Construction��Process��

Another��value��central to McCarthy’s Education team is engaging students through construction-themed learning opportunities��and activities to help make the renovation process more fun for students and teachers being displaced during the project, and to show students how construction enhances our communities and can be a rewarding career.����

Construction Clubs,��which McCarthy��hosts in��elementary and middle schools across the��Southwest��for��over��a decade,��allow students to experience��working in the��construction trades firsthand.��Students��engage in activities involving��carpentry, plumbing, electrical,��virtual modeling��and other tasks, applying skills from classes like math, science, technology, art and others, while being��guided by��McCarthy team members and others on the project team to work on an aspect of construction that’s happening on the project at their school.��For example, during��construction��at��Metro Tech,��students��in the school’s construction and electrical programs are��being given these��opportunities as their campus transforms around them��

At Galveston Elementary,��the��McCarthy��team engaged students a little differently by��creating��an “Elf on the Shelf” construction challenge��that��involved daily��math and reading clues tied to the��campus��renovation. The activity generated schoolwide excitement and gave students a sense of��excitement and ownership��in the transformation happening around them.��

Programs like these��deepen students’ connection to their evolving��campus��and��simultaneously��introduces��them��to potential��career pathways��while seeing the��way what��they are learning in school has application in the future.��

Natalie Carroll is Business Development Manager for McCarthy’s K-12 Education Team based in Phoenix.��

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CHANDLER, Ariz.—Architect Orcutt | Winslow and general contractor McCarthy Building Companies have reached the topping-out stage at Galveston Elementary School, part of the Chandler Unified School District. Personnel from the district and construction team were on hand for this goalpost moment, where students, staff and invited guests signed a ceremonial beam, which was then hoisted into place atop the phase I construction of the $32-million, 81,000-square-foot expansion.

Phase I entails a 53,000-square-foot classroom building, 21,000-square-foot gymnasium facility and a 7,000-square-foot administration building. The classroom building entails 31 classrooms, each of which will include large-format TVs, as well as grade-appropriate book collections in lieu of a centralized library or media center, and an amphitheater. The building will also be home to a cafeteria—with doors that can roll up during optimal weather for indoor-outdoor dining—and a multipurpose room that can be utilized for various public events.

The buildout commenced in September, and is being constructed on top of Galveston Elementary’s former playground. The new buildings will have card reader access as an added security measure.

The second phase of work, due to commence this fall, entails tearing down the original school building from 1963 and fashioning new playgrounds and athletic fields. Phase II is due for completion in the spring of 2025. The school will then be able to educate 750 students, up from the current complement of around 400 in grades K-6.

At the topping-out ceremony, CUSD Superintendent Frank Narducci called Galveston Elementary a “very special community,” and said the newer buildings will make it even stronger.

“For families and the staff, this school has been an anchor in the neighborhood and city for decades, so this rebuild marks a huge milestone in the school’s history,” Narducci said. “This rebuild will be state-of-the-art and feature learning spaces that allow students and staff to work and learn collaboratively and independently.”

“There has been much to celebrate at Galveston Elementary this year,” added Andrea Ramos, McCarthy Southwest Education Group project director for the construction work. “Not only did the school recently receive an ‘A Grade’ rating, but the campus renovation project marked the major construction milestone of topping out with students, faculty and staff leaving their handprints and names on the final beam, which will forever be part of the Galveston Elementary campus.”

“It has been an absolute honor to work on the Reimagined Galveston Elementary School design project,” said Saravanan Bala, Orcutt | Winslow managing partner. “The District’s vision [shaped] this innovative, community-service focused replacement school.”

Orcutt | Winslow and McCarthy both operate from local offices in Phoenix.

“We couldn’t be prouder to be helping transform the campus into a 21st century learning facility and positively impacting students’ lives for decades to come,” said Ramos.

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