Great Hearts Academies and Nations|Wright announced today the recent completion of construction on five Valley charter schools. The two newest Great Hearts campuses, Cicero and Arete, as well as an expanded Maryvale Preparatory Academy campus all opened on or before Aug. 11 for the 2014-2015 school year.
Nations Wright, serving as Owner’s Representative for Great Hearts, managed all of the projects. “Representing Great Hearts in the development of these schools gives us the opportunity to support Great Hearts in its educational mission across the valley and to make a difference in these communities. We are honored and take pride in helping Great Hearts provide high quality, classical, liberal arts education to Valley children,” said Chris Nations, President, Nations Wright.
Great Hearts’ new Cicero campus is located on the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community just south of Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. The new Arete campus is located at 4493 E. Baseline Rd. in Gilbert. Each new campus houses two independent academies. The Maryvale campus expansion enabled the school to double its capacity on the grounds at 6301 W Indian School Road.
Maryvale Prep, established in 2012, currently offers grades K-5 and serves a largely Hispanic student population. A community investment loan from CopperPoint Mutual Insurance Company financed the campus expansion. The new 10,000 square foot addition of classrooms and office space was designed by Larson Associates Architects and constructed by Chasse Building Team.
“The addition of CopperPoint Hall at our Maryvale Prep campus will allow us to expand our current offering and serve even more Maryvale students with a quality education. With this additional investment in Maryvale, and our two new campuses in the east and west valley, we will graduate thousands more great-hearted young women and men for generations to come.” said Dr. Daniel Scoggins, Chief Executive Officer of Great Hearts Academies.
The new Cicero campus has over 90,000 square feet in four buildings, which includes 57 classrooms for the two academies, performing arts spaces, and a gymnasium. The campus was designed by Gensler Architects and constructed by Chasse Building Team. The new Arete facilities, totaling 75,000 square feet, consist of 50 classrooms, performing arts spaces, and a gymnasium. The campus was designed by Gensler Architects and constructed by Okland Construction. Both the Cicero and Arete projects were primarily financed by Arizona Bank and Trust as the lead bank in a private tax-exempt bond issuance through the Phoenix Industrial Development Authority.
Archway Classical Academy – Cicero (grades K-5) and Cicero Preparatory Academy (grades 6-12) take their name from Marcus Tullius Cicero, the Roman philosopher. Archway Classical Academy – Arete (grades K-5) and Arete Preparatory Academy (grades 6-12) take their name from the Greek word for “heroic excellence.”
