As anyone who has lived in an older home knows, keeping up with the wear and tear of time is quite the challenge. It’s no different for school buildings—especially those as well-loved as Ellis’ Middle School has been over the years.

Updating all of the Middle School’s common spaces—the entryway, student lounges, display spaces, locker areas, and connecting hallways—is the latest progression in ongoing efforts to improve Ellis’ campus.

"Middle School students spend a great deal of time in the spaces we are planning to renovate—gathering with peers, accessing materials from their lockers, moving between classes, and displaying their work,” said former Head of School Macon Finley, who announced the project in December 2023 and oversaw it until her retirement in June 2024. "How these spaces function and look has a big impact on how it feels to current students—and prospective new student visitors—to be at Ellis.”

The Middle School currently operates in one of Ellis' oldest buildings, which was originally used for Upper School classes. Although the Middle School’s classrooms and science labs were recently renovated, the common areas had not been updated since the 1970s. After successfully partnering with architects from PWWG and general contractor Jendoco Construction to remodel the Middle School science labs in 2022, the School teamed up with both local firms once again to bring the Middle School’s most heavily used and important spaces into the modern era.

Construction began in early June 2024 and was completed before the start of the 2024–2025 school year.

As anyone who has lived in an older home knows, keeping up with the wear and tear of time is quite the challenge. It’s no different for school buildings—especially those as well-loved as Ellis’ Middle School has been over the years.

Updating all of the Middle School’s common spaces—the entryway, student lounges, display spaces, locker areas, and connecting hallways—is the latest progression in ongoing efforts to improve Ellis’ campus.

"Middle School students spend a great deal of time in the spaces we are planning to renovate—gathering with peers, accessing materials from their lockers, moving between classes, and displaying their work,” said former Head of School Macon Finley, who announced the project in December 2023 and oversaw it until her retirement in June 2024. "How these spaces function and look has a big impact on how it feels to current students—and prospective new student visitors—to be at Ellis.”

The Middle School currently operates in one of Ellis' oldest buildings, which was originally used for Upper School classes. Although the Middle School’s classrooms and science labs were recently renovated, the common areas had not been updated since the 1970s. After successfully partnering with architects from PWWG and general contractor Jendoco Construction to remodel the Middle School science labs in 2022, the School teamed up with both local firms once again to bring the Middle School’s most heavily used and important spaces into the modern era.

Construction began in early June 2024 and was completed before the start of the 2024–2025 school year.