Riverfield Country Day School’s board, faculty, students and families gathered on Wednesday, April 6 to officially break ground on the projects included in its iNSPiRED Campaign. Partnering with McFarland Architects and Stava Building Corporation, Riverfield is building the Center for Creativity and expanding the existing Clark Gymnasium.
The gym expansion will nearly double the size of the current area and include a larger court for practices and games, increased seating, film and training rooms, updated locker rooms, and a revamped entrance with concession stand.
“The original Clark Gymnasium has served us well in the last 16 years, but we’ve grown a lot,” says athletic director Jason Bogle. “The enlarged gym will allow our teams to practice concurrently and the expanded seating means we can host tournaments and OSSAA playoffs.”
The Center for Creativity is a 15,000-square foot space that will house visual arts, drama, music, STEM and filmmaking classes and extra-curricular programs for Riverfield students of all ages. A black box theater will host plays, concerts and speakers’ series. An art gallery will offer ample opportunity to display the works of Riverfield students and local artists. Several recording studios and practice rooms will provide the renowned Riverfield Rocks school rock band program space to flourish.
An important part of the Center for Creativity is the severe weather space, which is designed to meet ICC 500 standards for storm shelters. The first of its kind to receive a permit in a Tulsa area school, the space can hold up to 800 people.
“The iNSPiRED Campaign has gained fundraising momentum this school year with a $2 million donation from the William S. Smith Charitable Trust,” says Head of School Jerry Bates. “This, along with many generous donations from Riverfield families and friends of the school, will help our iNSPiRED dreams become a reality.”
