News + Ideas

Grab your backpacks and freshly sharpened pencils; it is time to go back to school! For our friends at DC Public Schools (DCPS), the hallowed hallways of some district schools may look a little different this year. Since 2017, MGAC subject matter experts have been providing technical support to the DC Department of General Services (DGS) and DCPS on the stabilization and modernization of various school projects throughout the district. These projects are focused on providing key upgrades that will empower and inspire DCPS students and faculty.

To date, MGAC has delivered the following projects: Capitol Hill Montessori at Logan Elementary School, Eliot-Hine Middle School, Jefferson Academy, John Eaton Elementary School, John Lewis Elementary School, Thaddeus Stevens School Early Learning Center, Van Ness Elementary School, and various other modernization work, and nearly 20 stabilization projects.

On Thursday, August 26^th, two of these completed projects, John Lewis Elementary School and Eaton Elementary School, held ribbon cutting celebrations that were attended by Mayor Muriel Bowser and DGS Director Keith A. Anderson.

John Lewis Elementary School, previously known as West Education Campus, was renamed after the late civil rights icon and congressman. The modernized school now reflects a 21st-century learning environment with educational spaces as directed by DCPS’s Educational Specifications. The building is approximately 90,000 SF, spread over two floors, with 32 classrooms serving more than 350 students in grades Pre-K through 5^th Grade. John Lewis Elementary was designed and constructed to be highly energy-efficient and produce onsite, carbon-free renewable energy in an amount sufficient to offset the school’s annual energy use. It is the first DCPS school to achieve net-zero certification.

The modernization of Eaton Elementary School, a $57.7M project, initially began in 2018 after the buildings were showing the effects of time, general maintenance issues associated with age, and several insensitive interventions over the years. The modernization included the renovation of two existing buildings totaling 40,000 SF and the demolition of interconnecting 1930s- and 1980s-era buildings that allowed for the construction of a new 45,000 SF three-level building. The new facility features a new gymnasium, library, and cafeteria to serve the student body.

“We cannot wait to bring our students back to fantastic facilities like this one—spaces specifically designed to support the needs of young learners,” said Mayor Muriel Bowser.

MGAC has a dedicated team of project management professionals that continue to focus on supporting the development and completion of these DCPS projects. This super team includes Alex Casey, Elyse Roeder, Ford Martin, Helen O’Connor, Lexie Mayewski, Marcus Hurley, and Patrick Moloney. MGAC continues to partner with DGS and DCPS to ensure that students across all eight wards have access to modernized state-of-the-art facilities.