Ramah Middle and High School

Elementary Schools | Middle Schools | High Schools | Specialized Educational & Administrative Facilities | K-12 Trends

This project demonstrates D/P/S’s ability to work with school districts to support community needs. The Ramah Middle and High School, 65,000 s.f. designed for 280 students, was built on a difficult, steeply sloping 40 acre site a mile south of town, the design team developed an organizational scheme that provides two separate entrances on each of its two different levels.  This allows for the logical separation of the middle school and high school students and keeps the footprint of the building to a minimum.

Built to replace the existing middle and high schools, the new facility recognizes the importance of the school as it functions in the community. Dekker/Perich/Sabatini advocated on behalf of the Gallup McKinley County School District to use district bond funds in order to build the gymnasium larger than the statewide standards to accommodate the crowds that are typically present for basketball games (up to 1,000 spectators).  The facility shares a large parking lot built for the adjoining sports stadium to accommodate those crowds.  By entering into the gymnasium lobby on the second floor, the basketball court is seen from above and spectators enter by walking down the bleachers into the space.

In addition to sports, the school provides a complete curriculum for both middle and high school students. Along with the core subjects of study, Ramah contains spaces for Art, Industrial Arts, Automobile Shop, Woodworking, Cultural Studies, Business, Journalism, Band, Choir, and Computer Studies.