University High’s new home

Schematic drawings for a permanent University High School home at Fresno State will be presented to the CSU Board of Trustees for approval at the July 2005 board meeting.

The new UHS building will replace the open Amphitheater in the area between the Speech Arts and Music buildings. The completed structure will be approximately 37,000 square feet in size.

The ground lease for the high school is being drafted, the utility infrastructure will be developed this summer and the ground breaking for the building is expected in the fall. Building occupancy is anticipated around Christmas of 2006.

The cost is yet to be determined but is estimated to be around $8 million. Funding is through the Office of Public School Construction (OPSC), State of California Department of Finance. UHS is an independent Charter School, with its own board of governors, with Sierra Unified School District serving as the authorizing district for its charter.

Award-winning Fresno architect Arthur Dyson designed the school, which consists of three separate buildings: a single-story administrative wing on the west side with offices for administration and staff; a single-story music building on the east side with orchestra rooms, practice rooms and music storage areas; and a two-story classroom wing on the north side.

The classroom wing, which was placed facing north to take advantage of as much natural light as possible, includes19 “smart” classrooms.

A large courtyard on the south side has a line of pillars forming an arc that provide shade and study/sitting areas for the students. A circular shallow pond at the entrance is filled by a waterfall from a circular pond on the second floor.

The exterior of the buildings is composed of cement plaster and concrete and a wide band of copper that extends along the west side of the building from the second floor to the curved roofline above.

There will be extensive landscaping around the building creating a park-like atmosphere.  The students will continue to use, as they do now, the university library and food services.

University High classes currently are held in Lab School space and nearby temporary structures.

University High School is a public charter high school located on the campus of Fresno State. It was established in 2000 under the Sierra Unified School District and sponsored by the College of Arts and Humanities at Fresno State. Its 2004 API score of 875 places it among the top 20 public high schools in California. It features an accelerated college preparatory curriculum with an emphasis on music.

Jim Hamilton was named the interim head of school in March, replacing Dr. Brad Huff, who is providing consulting services until the end of his contract on June 30.