KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Students at Davidson and Maplewood elementary schools in the North Kansas City, Missouri, School District will attend class in brand new buildings Monday morning.
The district built the new schools on the same site as the previous buildings, which were both more than 60 years old.
Maplewood principal Nick Pettit said the district took inspiration from modern museums and colleges when designing the new school. The building has more open space, more natural light and improved technology. Students will sit at tables to promote collaboration instead of sitting at individual desks.
“As we move on to teaching kids 21st century skills, we need bigger spaces, we need more collaborative spaces and we need more opportunities for them to be creative,” Pettit said.
Maplewood Elementary has a nature theme, whereas Davidson Elementary’s theme focuses more on celebrating diversity. The names of barrier breakers are painted on walls throughout the new Davidson building — including people like Jackie Robinson, Ruby Bridges, Frida Kahlo and more.
“We just want everyone to be represented and everybody to feel like they are empowered and they own the space because it is a school built for everybody,” Davidson principal Andrea Stauch explained.
The district paid for both schools, using money from a no-tax increase bond voters approved in 2020, which will generate $155 million. Davidson cost about $26 million to build, while Maplewood’s price tag was closer to $22 million. Both schools are built to handle a larger capacity expected for the growing Northland part of Kansas City.
