The Coastal Zone Management Committee (CZM) unanimously approved the demolition of St. Croix Central High School on Tuesday night via Microsoft Teams. This approval will allow the V.I. Education Department to use the FEMA funds needed to demolish and replace the high school.
VIDE first appeared before the committee in January. At that time, the committee’s concern was that the school aligned with Gov. Albert Bryan Jr.’s 2040 vision for the territory. During her presentation, Education Commissioner Dionne Wells-Hendrington said, “We did not want our high schools to mirror each other. We wanted to be able to provide a variety of offerings to our students based on their interests.”
Wells-Hendrington referred to the classes already provided at the technical school on the St. Croix Educational Complex campus. “One of the areas we have not been successful with is incorporating the arts and curriculum opportunities for certifications and training for potential jobs into our curriculum.”
VIDE examined what the St. Croix Educational Complex had to offer and began to think outside of the box. Wells-Hedrington said that they looked at the governor’s vision for the territory and aligned it based on student interests.
“What you are looking at now is that crosswalk between the new high school we will be able to offer the students and us showing as a team how it’s aligned with the 2040 vision,” said Wells-Hedrington.
The designs were based on feedback from students and staff at the St. Croix Central High School.
“Times are changing and so we have to be able to keep up with the nation and be competitive and offer our students opportunities that make them competitive with other students from across the nation,” said Wells-Hendrington.
The new design for St. Croix Central High School is planned to accommodate a minimum of 1,000 students. The curriculum will be college and career readiness based on STEM Learning. The school will have shared community amenities, including a safe room and a state-of-the-art musical performance hall.
There will also be 7,000 square feet of outdoor learning space that is staged and set with outdoor seating, allowing teachers to conduct classes outside.
Pamela Loeffelman, representing the architectural firm DLR Group for the overall architecture design, said, “The layout of these spaces were very intentional in terms of where the learning suites are.”
Some of the careers students will be able to explore are sports, tourism, visual arts in music, agriculture, and others.
“This really is a comprehensive high school that was laid out with the intention of engaging students within pathways that really allow them to pursue their passion,” said Loeffelman.
The first round will include plans to demolish the existing gym. Once that area has been demolished, the first round of buildings will be constructed. The students will then move from the old buildings to the newly constructed buildings and start demolishing the old buildings on the existing campus. A second round of buildings will be built to finish the buildout of the site. The remainder of the old building will be demolished, and the students and staff will then be able to return to a new campus.
To see the design, click here.
Also discussed during the CZM meeting was an application to construct a 100-foot mono-palm communication tower capable of supporting up to three wireless carriers. The plans are to place the 30’x50’ fenced enclosure and place a generator and support equipment within it. The property is located at Plot #73, Estate Clairmont.
Legal representative attorney Kevin Rames said that Liberty Mobile V.I. is building out the First Net System in the Virgin Islands, particularly St. Croix. The First Net System is intended to provide telecommunications for emergency services throughout the U.S. Virgin Islands, including emergency first responder services and 911 services. It provides coverage in gaps in the cell phone telecommunication system in St. Croix.
