Newly named “The Commons,” this project includes a new dining facility, expanded student center and library, outdoor plaza, additional office space, and a new technology center. When completed, The Commons will become the heart of our campus.

Menlo has long envisioned our own dining facility that can offer healthy meal choices and provide food throughout the course of the day. A dining hall closer to the center of campus will also allow students to have more time for other noon activities, such as meetings, clubs, spirit activities, and other social interactions. The student center and library expansion will help us realize more robust programs focused on interdisciplinary learning and allow students to foster meaningful interactions with their peers and teachers. Finally, a new plaza will create a space for student meetings, community gatherings, and special events.

We anticipate construction will take approximately 14 months. A summer start to the project will help us address some of the noisiest parts of the construction phase. In mid-May, after seniors have departed to work on their senior projects, we’ll install office portables in the main parking lot to create temporary spaces for technology and our business office. Immediately after commencement, we’ll begin construction. Our goal is to complete the project for the start of the 2017-2018 school year.

During construction, programs currently housed in Stent Family Hall will move to portables situated around campus. These include Student Life, the Library, Learning Lab, the multimedia room, Mike Thibodeaux’s classroom, the Business Office, Development, Technology, and Mr. Healy’s office. We’re creating new campus maps that detail these moves, and you’ll receive them before school begins in August.

Even with the added portables in the parking lot, we anticipate having the same number of parking spaces for students, faculty, staff, and guests by converting the center of the loop into an additional parking area for faculty and staff. Drop off in the loop should not be impacted by these changes.

Some Commonly Asked Questions

• How will construction affect my student’s experience? It’s our goal to ensure that our students continue to have a great Menlo experience throughout the construction period. Administrative teams, student government, and other student groups have been meeting regularly to strategize how to keep the school year feeling as “normal” as possible. This includes everything from the start-of-school-year events to spirit week activities to outdoor events and BBQs.
• Will my eighth grader or senior have graduation in front of Stent Hall? Yes! Weather permitting, we will hold our 2016 and 2017 commencements on the loop in front of Stent as we’ve traditionally done.
• Is anything special planned for the Senior Class to make sure their final year at Menlo feels special? Yes! We are creating a senior lounge, designing a new senior “wall,” and meeting regularly with the class members to brainstorm additional programs and events.
• How will students learn more? Both divisions will hold upcoming assemblies where we’ll walk the students through the components of the project.

To help keep the School community up to date, later this spring we’ll launch a new section of our website that will contain maps, updates, logistics, videos, rendering, and contact information, so check back in early May to learn more.

We are very excited to get this project underway. Once completed, it will infuse energy into the heart of campus and immediately benefit our students as well as our faculty and staff. As we launch into the School’s second century, these new spaces will help Menlo provide a transformative education experience that best prepares our students for the changing world.

We appeciate the community’s support and patience as we build something that will truly enhance Menlo for many years to come.