Grand Meadow Hosts Grand Opening Of Minnesota's First Monolithic Dome School
Posted January 1, 2003
by Freda Parker
photos by Jim Casady
On November 10, 2002, Grand Meadow, Minnesota, a rural community of about 1000, tripled its population. That was the day Grand Meadow hosted a grand opening of its new Monolithic Dome school -- five domes that encompass classrooms, cafeteria, auditorium, gymnasium, computer lab and administrative offices. These new structures currently serve 350 students and 30 teachers in Kindergarten through Grade 12 and include room for an additional 100 students.
Superintendent Bruce Klaehn said, "The grand opening went very well. We had an exceptional turnout. We estimated that we had over 3000 people attend the school that day and over 1000 came just for the program itself. We heard overwhelming positive comments about the layout of the buildings. It was a very positive, uplifting day for the community."
Featured speakers
The grand opening included much speech making. In addition to community and school administrators, State Senator Kenric Scheevel and State Representative Greg Davids, who were instrumental in helping Grand Meadow get their $3 million grant from the state, also spoke. Klaehn said, "They are both very pleased with the results."
Students were heard from
In her speech, Kelli Petzel, a high school senior and student council president, listed some of the features the kids were most excited about. The new gymnasium, parking lot and "cool pop machines" topped that list. In a later interview, Kelli said, "I definitely feel that having all of the high school students in the same dome is a great way to be more united. Having our nice commons area gives us the opportunity to hang around and talk with fellow students before and after classes. Before, all of the students were stretched down two separate, narrow hallways, and we never saw much of each other or had the chance to socialize."
And so were the teachers
Fifth Grade teacher Judy Thumann also spoke about the feeling of unity the domes inspire and how fortunate she and the other teachers feel in having this new dome facility.
During a follow-up telephone interview, Thumann said, "The domes are very nice -- especially the elementary dome. We used to be in two different buildings on three different floors and now we're all together -- just like a big family. You can go out there and touch base and share things. Yesterday, I needed a book on animal tracks, and I just went into the Second Grade and came back with it. I've taught for over 30 years, and I never would have thought I'd teach in a new school. How many people get to do that? Not very many."
Thumann then did some recalling. She said, "I remember when this idea (Monolithic Domes) was presented to us. I was at a committee meeting and I thought, 'Oh, yeah. Something like that in our town!' A small group of us thought, 'No, that (the domes) won't be accepted by our town. What would they look like here?' And here we are, and we're happy to be here.
"We all comment on how, for some reason, it's more inviting and easier to come back to school on a weekend or in the evening to work," Thumann continued. "It's just nice to spend time here, I think."
Domes provide new teaching environment
Asked if teaching in the round makes a difference in how she teaches, Thumann said, "Having that central activity area certainly does. We're able to schedule more activities where you need to spread out. I think, for all of us, it's opened up what we can do." Their old classrooms, she said, were just too cramped, especially for large classes such as hers, with 25 students.
Both elementary and high school domes are designed with classrooms surrounding large, open, carpeted activity areas that can accommodate several groups doing different things, simultaneously. Thumann described the classrooms as "pie-shaped but without a point."
The classrooms have no windows facing the outside, but Thumann said that was not a problem. "I don't think we miss windows to the outside," she said. "When we walk to our other classes or go from dome-to-dome, we walk through the connecting parts that have great, big windows, and we look out then. I thought I would miss windows because I was used to lots of windows in my old, third-floor building. But, now there are those big ones in the front wall and little windows in the doors, so it's not totally filled in, and we usually keep our doors open."
Thumann also likes having a telephone, two storage cupboards, a sink, a countertop and drawers in each classroom.
Hopes for the future
"We realize how very fortunate we are to have this," Thumann said. "We're just waiting for people to follow our lead. We're hoping that will take place here in Minnesota."
Superintendent Klaehn echoed that hope. He said that since dome construction first began, Grand Meadow has had interested visitors. Now that it's complete, they come almost daily and Klaehn feels that Grand Meadow is "ready to let the rest of the state see it and see how it works and functions.
"There are a lot of schools who wanted to wait and see it done," he concluded, "and I know there are some bond issues for conventional structures that went down. So there may be some regrouping and new interest."
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