A Learning through Intensive Functional Teaching (LIFT) classroom will be built in the atrium to supplement special education programs already at Blue Valley West, with construction beginning during spring break.
Principal Leah Vomhof said the Blue Valley district office selected the atrium as the best location for the classroom because it has the necessary square footage.
According to Vomhof, LIFT is a special education program in the Blue Valley School District. Vomhof said she looks forward to supporting the current special education staff as they transition to their new classroom.
“My goal with this would be to support the really well-established program that Blue Valley West has, and look at how we support our students and the teachers’ transition to Northwest so that it’s as successful as the program at West right now,” Vomhof said.
Several changes will be made to the atrium over spring break, including moving lockers to a location on the second floor and shifting the atrium lunch area to where lockers currently are.
Assistant Superintendent of Special Education in the Blue Valley School District, Mark Schmidt, was the first to reach out to Vomhof about the construction. As of now, there are four high school LIFT classrooms in Blue Valley, all located at Blue Valley West.
According to Schmidt, the goal of building the new classroom is to ensure there is enough space for students. Currently, all students needing a LIFT classroom have to attend Blue Valley West, but with the addition of the new classroom, students living closer to the BVNW area will be able to attend school closer to where they live.
Schmidt said they had multiple meetings related to the construction, along with architects coming to test the square footage. He said he looks forward to the program’s introduction to the Northwest community.
“We just really appreciate the warm welcome that we were getting from Blue Valley Northwest,” Schmidt said. “I know students and staff are going to be very welcoming to the students that live within the area that will be attending.”
