Armadillo Community Charter School students Ryleigh Talyer and Emily Wells cook vegetables during a culinary arts class. The culinary kitchen is one of multiple new amenities added to the Phoenix charter school as part of a recently finished overhaul of two of the school's three buildings.

Larger classrooms and more flexible student space and amenities are among the highlights of a recently completed overhaul of two buildings at Armadillo Community Charter School in Phoenix. 

“We have created an entirely new culinary kitchen and a new science classroom,” said Rachel Garner, the charter school’s executive director.

There’s also a new school entrance, shower facilities for students and space specially designed and equipped for La Clinica services.

The $1.3 million needed for the renovation came through the Elementary and Secondary School Recovery Fund and the American Rescue Plan Act.

Most of the funding came from ARPA funds; state Sen. Jeff Golden, D-Ashland, helped secure a large portion. Oregon legislators were able to allocate ARPA funds within their districts for capital projects, and Golden chose to award ARPA funds to Armadillo following an application process.

Another $160,000 came from the Elementary and Secondary School Recovery Fund.

“We knew we wanted to do it. It had been the top feedback from families and school staff,” said Summer Brandon, the school’s previous executive director. “It was really clear that the facilities we had were aging out of doing their jobs.”

Charter schools don’t have access to public funds for facilities like regular school districts. Efforts to fund the improvements through grants had proven unsuccessful.

Work was done on two of the school’s three buildings, all former houses. Construction crews with The Ausland Group left the bones of the structures standing, but demolished the insides to allow for larger rooms as part of a project that started in June and finished mid-November — in time for teachers and students to begin their second term in the new surroundings.

“They adore it,” Garner said of teachers’ reactions to the new spaces. “As teachers coming into a space, you can feel proud. It’s neat and clean, and they have access to storage and equipment.”

Garner said students want to personalize the space so it doesn’t look so sterile with just white walls. The students, she said, are doing mural projects and putting stickers in bathrooms.

“It’s been fun having old alumni drop by,” Garner said. “They go, ‘Whoa, it is different.’”

“The students are really responding to it,” said Brian Pike, a culinary teacher. “We have had a huge uptick in interest in our culinary classes. The students are really engaged.”

Pike said the new spaces are modular and allow for multiple types of classroom uses, including culinary offerings.

Students spent their first term of the school year in the one building on campus not being remodeled, as well as in rented space at the Phoenix Grange downtown.

A shower facility and a new laundry were funded by a $16,000 grant from the Carpenter Foundation. Previously the school had a washer and dryer in an old one-car garage. The area housed a clothes bank with donated items, but no shower.

The showers and laundry facility are part of the Fresh program, which is designed to remove obstacles to a student’s education. Fresh offers donated hygiene products, clothes, shoes, heaters and other items for Armadillo’s students and their families.

Nonprofit health provider La Clinica previously offered services for Armadillo students out of an old bedroom on Armadillo’s campus at 302 W. First St. LaClinica’s new space includes a sink, a vaccine refrigerator and items specifically designed for clinic use, Garner said. The clinic is open to the community and offers services Tuesdays.

Armadillo, which has operated since 2000, is the oldest charter school in the Rogue Valley. It receives a charter from the Phoenix-Talent School District, allowing it to receive state education support based on enrollment. It has a staff of 11, including five teachers, several program coordinators and an assistant director who also teaches.

It serves ninth through 12th graders, offers accredited Oregon degrees and GED high school completion certificates. All school work must meet state standards to be eligible for grades and credits. It is accredited by Cognia, a national nonprofit accreditation organization.

Enrollment is capped at 120 students; enrollment usually ranges from 80 to 100 students. Class size varies from 15 to 25 students, and each student has a computer. Lunch is free and provided from nearby Phoenix High School.

“We specialize in credit deficiencies. We get a lot students who are credit-deficient,” Garner said. Armadillo holds graduations every two weeks as students complete their credit requirements. Students can be up to 19 years old and come from all over the Rogue Valley. 

The charter school was formerly known as Armadillo Technical Institute. The school’s board of directors opted to change it earlier this summer after polling indicated that the name was confusing.

“People didn’t know who we were. They assumed we were some sort of college,” Garner said. With larger spaces available, the organization hopes to hold more events that will get the community into the school.

Completion of another phase of the rebuilding project is planned within the next two years. The next phase will include remodeling the third building for art and shop classes and putting a fence around the property.

The school is currently seeking funds to cover the costs of those upgrades, which are projected at $1.3 million.

Reach Ashland freelance writer Tony Boom at tboomwriter@gmail.com.