Jacksonville Country Day School

Renovations Recap

The Next Generation Renovation Project

It is with great enthusiasm and a vision for the future that we announce the JCDS Next Generation Renovation Project. Following more than a year of extensive research, the Board of Trustees and school administration have approved a plan for the modernization of the Main Building.

This plan creates a 21st century learning environment and completes needed investments in our campus infrastructure. The project will positively impact each of our students every day and enable us to better fulfill our mission. The scope of the renovation includes reimagining the library and cafeteria while providing a new space for our Extended Care classrooms and offices. Work began late this spring and will be substantially completed soon after the opening of the 2019-2020 school year.

Over the spring and summer of 2019, we produced a video log of the entire renovation process. You can enjoy watching our progress on YouTube.

Project Highlights

List of 4 items.

JCDS Center for Learning, Innovation, and Collaboration
Our library will become a newly designed center that will provide a welcoming space that encourages learning, innovation, and collaboration. The flexible environment will serve our students, teachers, and the broader community in many new ways.

The Center will feature:
- A quiet space for studying and recreational reading
- Flexible spaces for collaborative work and small-group instruction
- Easy access to the library collections and digital tools
- Interactive areas throughout for problem-based learning, exploring art and literature, and many other educational experiences
The dynamic new space is designed to prepare students for the 21st century by bringing the best of physical and digital learning together to create hubs and common spaces for exploration and connection. With a carefully thought-out design, the Center will connect to our MakerSpace and a newly upgraded audio/visual center where students will create, present, and invent.
The Dining Room

When we surveyed our JCDS parents two years ago, it was clear that most parents and students were interested in a new dining experience on campus. The administration and Board of Trustees agreed and thoughtfully, but quickly, took steps to improve this experience. We realized there was only so much that we could do with a space that had been a gym for most of its 55 years.

The new dining room will not only be a brighter space to eat with more natural light, but also provide a platform for teaching manners and character lessons. Students, teachers, staff, and administrators will continue to dine together to build community. The renovation will improve the dining experience and bring the outside in while also making the dining space a centerpiece of our school. The design will also allow us to transition to family style dining in the future.
Welcome Center and Central Walkway

As part of the renovations to the main building, there will be a shift of the primary entry point onto our campus. Visitors will enter just above the amphitheater and walk down a tree-lined pathway directly into the new Welcome Center. By relocating the entrance, guests will be unable to visit other areas of the campus without first checking in at the Welcome Center.
Enrichment and Extended Care

As more families take advantage of the breadth of our Enrichment and Extended Care programs, these classrooms will be relocated to what is currently the library. This new space is more centralized, open, and bright. Moving will provide one location for parents and caregivers to use to pick up children from many Extended Care and Enrichment programs.

Renovation Updates

September 10
Construction is rapidly coming to a finish. With almost all of the outside work done, the focus now is to finish the interior. Wall paint, carpeting, and flooring for the dining room are well underway.

This week, books and materials from the old library are scheduled to be moved into their new, multi-level home. Students will enjoy the nooks and crannies, and will especially love the "treehouse" overlooking the dining room.

Students, parents, and staff are all looking forward to the grand opening, which is just a few weeks away.

August 9
With the start of the 2019-2020 school year rapidly approaching, the progress on the renovation project has been remarkable. It is thrilling to see something that looks so good on paper come to life as an actual object that you can see and feel. Our design team at ELM have guided us along the way.

Take a look at the progress from their point of view.
Click on the photo to enlarge:

June 25

Summer is now in full swing, and the temperatures are in the upper 90s. But that doesn't stop progress on our renovations!

At the south end of the building, sections of concrete have been cut out and trenches have been dug below ground level. This is where plumbing will be installed for the kitchen, new restrooms, and changing rooms.

Meanwhile, the concrete sections have been neatly stacked outside...ready to be sent off and recycled for another project.

June 21
The walls came tumbling down at the south end of the main buildling to make way for some major changes.

The area that most recently was home to Extended Care will have new purposes. First, part of this space will be used for the expanded kitchen. Chef Jim is looking forward to being able to broaden and enhance the lunch cuisine.

A patio and pergola area will provide a flexible space for outdoor lunch seating, class meetings, or a venue for school functions.

Finally, outdoor access restrooms and changing rooms will provide convenience when using this area, especially during swimming season.

June 13

Walls studs are quickly springing up in the new Welcome Center, which is where all visitors will check in when they come to the school. It will include a new reception area and offices.

The old windows and doors have been removed, and will be replaced by a very attractive "storefront."

A new path will take visitors on a beautiful "walk through the ferns" to enter the Welcome Center.

Also, the entrance gate will be on the same level as the Welcome Center, so there will be no need to climb up stairs when you visit.

June 3
The demolition process continues. The old cafeteria is slowly but surely being whittled down to its very shell. The new dining room will be awesome!

Click on the photo to enlarge:

May 6
Due to the closing of the cafeteria, the students are getting their lunch from the Shark Bites Café in the Smith Center. They are enjoying the deli sandwiches and eating in their classrooms or outside.

May 1, 2019
The Main Office has moved to the lobby of the Fine Arts Center. ALL checkins, tardies, early dismissals, etc. will now be handled in the FAC lobby.

April 29, 2019
Our Head of School, Pat Walker, has moved offices while renovations are ongoing. She is now located in Conference Room B on the 2nd floor of the Smith Center. Turn left when you come out of the elevator.

April 26, 2019
Lindsey Curry, Enrichment Services Manager, has moved into the lobby of the Smith Center.

April 25, 2019
We had a PODS storage container delivered to Parking Lot A to help us house some of the items from the Main Wing during the renovation.