JACKSON TWP — Safety, flexibility, efficiency and education will be built into the replacement Evans City school building, board members were told Monday.

Mike Corb, CannonDesign's project head, showed board members what his team has determined to be the best design for the new facility.

The new school will be constructed on an Ehrman Road property the district has owned for nearly 20 years to replace Evans City Elementary and Middle School, a decision the school board approved in September.

The plan's emphasis on openness and flexibility in use were focal points in Corb's update.

The open collaboration areas, an important part of the program, Corb said, will include a “more mobile furniture solutions” so chairs and tables are easily moved to accommodate students' and teachers' needs.

“We can kind of think about storage a little differently,” Corb said, “as well as how we display things.”

The design incorporates outdoor play areas, a student drop-off loop and plant and hill ranges that could be used for learning purposes.

Corb said the team was not only looking to transform the landscape for aesthetic purposes but also “looking at the site in general as a way to educate.”

The drop off loop doubles as a safety feature, Corb said. Circling in front of the administration building, it requires students to have eyes on them from the time they are dropped off until they are picked up again; it also means visitors will be known on entry to school grounds rather than just as they try to enter a building.

The next steps for Corb and CannonDesign include cost estimation and beginning design development.

Final approval should be determined in August, if the plans continue without delay.

In addition to the presentation on the new school's schematics, CannonDesign's place at the board meeting extended to older students, too.

Superintendent Tracy Vitale introduced the students who were selected for the Architecture Construction Engineering (A.C.E.) Externship Program, which was made available to 10th and 11th grade students who are interested in careers in those areas in November.

Students initiated in the program are, at CannonDesign, Lauren Golias for interior design and Andrew Drozynski, Christian Martocci, Allison Schwartz and Harrison Silvester for architecture; at Tower Engineering, Bryce Korner, Gabriel Nauman, Gavin Tracy and Drew Yecko for mechanical engineering and Brianna Buccini, Zach Garcia, Morgan Sinan and Joshua Spence for electrical engineering; at Barber & Hoffman Consulting, Ethan Edkins, Eric Finch, Robert Allen Halyama and Jack Veverka for structural design; and at Herbert, Roland & Grubic, Jocelyn Krieger for civil engineering.

All of these students will play a role in the creation of the new Seneca Valley middle and elementary school building.

Brianna said she is thankful for the opportunity to give back to the school that was her home for six years and “so near and dear to my heart.” She said she fell in love with the world of electrical engineering and is excited to continue learning in the field.

Joshua, who said he isn't sure what he wants to do after high school, agreed that he is happy to have this experience under his belt before he would even have to pay for college. He also said the experience has already taught him much about what happens in workplace meetings, including how long those meetings can be.

“I didn't think it would take 30 minutes to talk about a bus loop,” he said, earning some laughter from the board.

The opportunity to join the externship became a reality with collaboration from CannonDesign, Vitale and Seneca Valley Communications Director Linda Andreassi.