Community School unveils $9 million student union building

Annika Hammerschlag, Annika.Hammerschlag@naplesnews.com; 239-213-6066

Community School of Naples unveiled a new $9 million student union building Tuesday to a crowd of 800 students, faculty, administration and board of trustees.

The 35,635-square-foot building will house an innovation lab, dining hall and 85-seat college-style lecture hall.

“The Student Union has already transformed the CSN campus life in more ways than just giving us all a great dining experience,” Community School Head of School David Watson said in a speech. “This building represents the new focus of our school going forward.”

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The Community School is expanding its technology curriculum “so students can really specialize in what they love,” Director of Admissions and Marketing Tricia Helenbolt said.

“We want to remain on the cutting edge of technology and do what we need to remain competitive and be the best,” she said.

The innovation lab will house the school’s robotics program and coding classes, she noted.

Zach Tretter, 17, Student Council president and member of the graduating class of 2017, also spoke at the ribbon-cutting.

“CSN has never been a place to limit students in their search for academic excellence,” he said. “Giving them an entire building to explore new learning avenues and ways to improve will surely help to ensure that when students move on from high school, they are more prepared than they would have been before.”

After the ceremony parents and visitors were treated to a tour of the two-story building as well as a food-tasting prepared by Sage Dining, which provides breakfast and lunch to students, faculty and staff at no additional cost.

The building has been in operation for about two months, Zach said, and there have been “nothing but rave reviews.”

“I can speak for my lunch table and most other students in saying that the food is delicious, especially on Tuesdays and Thursdays when they’ve got unlimited ice cream sandwiches, which I am no stranger to,” he said. 

 

Head of School David Watson, left, and Board of Trustees President John Allen, right, accompanied by members of the Community School of Naples board and guests, cut the ceremonial ribbon.