Hampton Roads Academy holds groundbreaking ceremony

Hampton Roads Academy Headmaster Peter W. Mertz, Campaign Chair Wendy Drucker ‘76, Board of Trustees Chair Alison V. Lennarz and student leaders from each division led the ceremony. Students, faculty, staff, donors and invited guests joined the celebration and shared their enthusiasm for the changes and improvements coming to HRA. Hampton Roads Academy has been working with W. M. Jordan Company and James River Architects to design and build this project.

Hampton Roads Academy’s new state-of-the-art, 400-seat dining hall with a full-service professional kitchen, will provide every student with a daily selection of healthy meals in a space where the HRA community can come together and break bread. Fostering a sense of community and closeness is a hallmark of HRA and this new space will reflect the school’s commitment to healthy bodies and healthy minds. The location of the new dining facility will also provide enhanced accessibility to food and restrooms during outdoor activities and athletic events.

The new Lower School wing will feature 12 large, bright classrooms with enhanced 21st-century learning opportunities. A large, flexible Innovation Lab/Makerspace will be at the center of the Lower School and accessible to all HRA students.

A unique feature that connects the dining hall and Lower School wing is a 1,000-square-foot hydroponics laboratory. The laboratory will include vertical growing towers of leafy salad vegetables for HRA’s dining hall with the potential to grow other fruits and vegetables. Beyond providing produce for the dining hall, this space will be the perfect backdrop for innovative academic lessons and support HRA’s concentration in community service as we will donate extra produce to local food banks.

“Trustees, parents, alumni, local businesses and faculty and staff have all played an important role in making this new building a reality, and each and every HRA student, from pre-K-3 to 12th grade, will benefit from the addition,” said HRA Headmaster Peter W. Mertz. “Personally, my favorite part of this project is its reflection of the health, enthusiasm and creativity of our entire HRA community.”

For more information about the Navigating Our Course: The Campaign for Hampton Roads Academy, please click here or contact HRA, (757) 884-9177.