STEM

MOC-Floyd Valley High School Updates Science Classrooms

• By Leila Meyer
• 03/03/15

MOC-Floyd Valley High School in Orange City, IA is redesigning and expanding its science area to provide additional space for computers, labs and storage in support of a focus on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education.

The school is redesigning its biology and chemistry classrooms, combining two of the classrooms into one, and building a 7,200 square foot addition, according to a report in the Sioux City Journal. The expansion and redesign will include three new science classrooms and more space for instruction, labs and storage. The project will also add windows to the science area to provide better ventilation.

Doug De Zeeuw, a chemistry and physics teacher at the school, told the Sioux City Journal that the new science area will allow space for computers, making it easier to integrate technology into classes, and the increased lab space will give the students more opportunities to conduct hands-on experiments. The new layout will also enable students to work in cooperative groups.

The school district anticipated the project to cost $2.7 million, but the bid price came in at just over $2 million and construction is proceeding on schedule. According to information in the Sioux City Journal, the project is funded through a physical plant equipment levy and a statewide sales tax for school infrastructure. The district is also working with a finance company to arrange an extended payment plan while completing the projects on schedule.