In 1996, after three years of collaboration with the Sparta Board of Education, voters passed a $27 million referendum that would pave the way for the construction of a new middle school. The 127,000 SF facility was a milestone achievement for DMR in its early years, and at the time, was the largest facility in Sussex County.
DMR was first retained early in the process, when the board had a choice of six sites as a possible location of the new school. DMR provided a complete site investigation of each site, exploring the value, assets, access, services, transportation and utilities of each before settling on a site on Main Street to construct the facility.
The building accommodates 1,100 students in grades 5-8. The program was based on a house plan in which grades 5-6 are located in one wing and grades 7-8 in another, with the two wings connected by a hub for administration. A third wing, attached at the rear of the building in a circular designed structure, includes the gymnasium, technology labs and cafeteria.