access while expanding career-focused spaces. “By getting us all into one roof, we’re able to expand our CTE departments, make things a little bit bigger for the growth that’s coming,” Dr. Beck notes,“it also just makes it safer in general by giving us limited entry points.” Flexible classrooms feature movable furniture instead of “built-ins,” allowing quick adaptation to evolving needs. “We’re trying to focus on furniture and not built-ins to the walls that pigeonhole us into what’s happening in those rooms,” Dr. Beck explains, “things change on a dime.” The project also future-proofs growth, enrollment has surged from 1,475 to 1,708 in three years, demanding infrastructure that keeps pace. For MISD, safety isn’t just physical, it’s about creating spaces where students and teachers can focus on progress, not vulnerabilities. CURRICULUM EVOLUTION FOR A NEW ECONOMY MISD is rewriting the playbook on career readiness, moving beyond the “college-for-all” mindset to meet modern workforce demands.“We do know it’s a changing world,” says Dr. Beck,“the original thought with no child left behind was that every kid should go to college.” “Right now, we’re struggling to fill those voids of that thinking and trying to get kids into the trade industry, and in fact, kids actually make a lot more money than those of us that have degrees at university sometimes,” he adds. The district responds with agile programs designed for jobs that may not yet exist.“We don’t know exactly what this can look like, but we do know we got to prepare kids for what’s coming,” Dr. Beck emphasizes. STEM and career training take center stage. Dr. Elizabeth Bentzen, Curriculum Director, highlights grants fueling innovation including a Caterpillarfunded robotics program, Project Lead the Way courses, and a GVEC funded CNC plasma torch cutter for welding, all integrating technology like CAD and Adobe certifications.“We’re trying to up our game in technology,” she explains. 4 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 07
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