Brand New Aspen Ridge Elementary ‘Amplifies’ Team Teaching Concept

For some students in Maple Grove, a new school year will mean a brand new building.

The Osseo Area School District celebrated this week the opening of Aspen Ridge Elementary, the first new school built in the district in 20 years.

Located in the fast growing northwest corner of Maple Grove on Arbor Ridge Parkway, the school will initially serve more than 500 kindergarten through fifth-grade students. The building is built for a capacity of 1,100 students. 

Designed with a modern look and classrooms described better as “learning studios,” the building puts a significant focus on letting in natural light.

“You can’t help notice when you walk in how bright it is,” Principal Patrick Smith told CCX News. “And research shows that when you have natural light, it helps with learning. It helps with that feeling of like, ‘I just feel good being in the space.'”

The new building also puts an emphasis on safety.

“Within every studio is an exit out to the outdoors, so if there is a threat of any sort in the school and you need to exit the building, then there’s an exit point,” said Smith leading a tour. “It’s sad we have to talk about all of this, but it is reality.”

City leaders and school board members got their first look inside the new building on Monday, Aug. 17.

Smith estimated it could take five to six years for the new school to meet its student capacity.

“The nice thing is starting about half the capacity, you get to work all the systems, what works, what doesn’t work,” said Smith.

Principal Patrick Smith points out the school’s media center and library. About 10,000 books were scheduled to arrive on Aug. 19 to fill up the shelves.

Modern Teaching Concepts ‘Amplified’

The new building not only provides a modern look, but offers modern learning through team teaching concepts.

Organized by color schemes for wayfinding, each grade has six studio-style classrooms, three breakout rooms and a teacher work room. No teacher is assigned a specific classroom, said Smith.

Each grade will initially start with four teachers, but administrators plan to hire more as school enrollment grows.

“Imagine four classrooms. Every teacher has their home-base students, but the four teachers are sharing a roster of 100 students or the whole grade level. And then together, they team and they work off each other to teach the students,” explained Smith. “It’s a different mindset coming in and team teaching.”

Students and staff will move from space to space within their grade depending on what’s being taught. Smith said the team teaching model is not necessarily unique, but “amplified” given the new building. He estimates it could take three to five years for staff to fully understand how to utilize every space in the building.

The building was designed by Wold Architects and Engineers. The school is also contracting with Bob Dillon (Not to be confused with the singer Bob Dylan), who specializes in maximizing learning environments. 

The design of the building also ensures there’s capability to expand in the future.

Other features of the new building include a gym built in partnership with the Osseo-Maple Grove Basketball Association. 

“Hardwood floors is not something you typically see in every elementary, but again through the partnership we’re able to do that,” said Smith.

The school will also offer recess before lunch rather than the traditional approach for several reasons, including less food waste — kids eat more because they’re hungrier — and students are more calm after recess, Smith explained.

A look inside one of the school’s learning studios/credit Delane Cleveland

Superintendent: ‘Unbelievable To See’

For district leaders, the new school is the culmination of years of planning.

“It’s unbelievable to see from where it went from the ground up to where it is at today, and from all of the planning, and for it to come into fruition is incredible,” said Osseo District Superintendent Kim Hiel.

Hiel pointed out that Aspen Ridge is one of 66 construction projects across the district as part of its Building a Better Future initiative. 

The school year starts Tuesday, Sept. 8, the day after Labor Day.

A window view to the school’s outdoor playground

Also see: Future Aspen Ridge Elementary Students Work on New Mascot, School Logo

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