Charter School of the Dunes announces new $13M early learning facility

Charter School of the Dunes, 7300 Melton Road in Gary, has an enrollment of 684 K-8 students, according to U.S. News & World Report.

GARY — Charter School of the Dunes is building a $13 million early learning facility designed to educate students from prekindergarten to second grade, the school announced this week.

"We are excited to begin construction on the new Early Learning Center," Superintendent Justin Stok said. "The addition to the Charter School of the Dunes will bring new educational options for our current and future students."

Plans for the building, which is being partly funded by ESSER III grants from the federal government, include a secure entrance, administrative space, student dining, a media center and a multipurpose gym.

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K-2 students will move to the new building, and the building at 7300 Melton Road will be dedicated to third through eighth grades. The school hopes this will open up space for all students, improving the academic environment.

The center also will serve as a hub for the after-school program.

Performance Services Inc., a K-12 design and construction company specializing in integrated design and construction, and Wightman and Hasse Construction have been selected to be the contractors on the project, which has a target completion of December.

Charter School of the Dunes is a public charter school serving kindergarten through eighth grade in Gary.

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Lake Central's Sydney Black does the vault Saturday at the Valparaiso Gymnastics Regional at Valparaiso High School.

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Merrillville's KeyShawn Mitchell-Andrews (33) goes to the basket against Munster's Andrew Cipowski (20) and Jermaine Coney (5) late in the fourth quarter during the Class 4A Sectional 1 first round on Wednesday night.

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