Irondale Middle School

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Irondale Middle School is part of Jefferson County Schools serving grades 6-8 for Irondale and southeastern Jefferson County. It is located on Old Leeds Road adjacent to Shades Valley High School. It opened in fall 2007, replacing Gresham Middle School.

History

The Jefferson County Board of Education made the decision on May 27, 2004 to build a new middle school on the Shades Valley campus. The new school would replace Gresham Middle School, which had been converted into a K-8 school after the sale of Cahaba Heights Community School to Vestavia Hills. At the time, the school board pledged $6 million toward construction and Irondale pledged $8 million. In addition, Irondale agreed to give the school board the former JPK Soccer Fields behind the Shades Valley campus.

Lathan Associates Architects was selected to design the school in September 2004. In 2005, the school board purchased an additional 12.7 acres adjacent to Shades Valley High for the new middle school, pushing the new school's campus' size up to 25 acres. In 2006, Gary C. Wyatt General Contractor won the bid for the school at $23.7 million. Construction costs rose significantly from the time the school was first announced with an estimated $14 million cost.

Construction began in June 2006 and was ahead of schedule by January 2007. By June construction was four months ahead of schedule and it was announced that students would be starting there when the school year began on August 9, 2007. On July 26, the school board officially named the new school Irondale Middle School, as Gresham Middle will be reverting to Gresham Elementary School.

Facilities

The school is 130,000 quare feet and consists of three wings of eight classrooms, one wing for each grade. It is designed to accommodate up to 750 students and has its own football field and track.

References

External links

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