Building
St. Michael’s School is a single-floor, handicapped accessible building with six classrooms, a combined library/computer lab, and a gym. The school has direct access to the church through a glass hallway. The classrooms are bright, spacious, and well-kept.
Gym
The SMS gym, home of the St. Michael’s Panthers, is part of the school building. It’s used for both physical education classes and for GRACEAC conference games. The gym was recently re-floored, making it a great location for basketball and volleyball games as well as for indoor recess on rainy days. During GRACEAC games, the Home and School Association also runs a concession stand in the gym to raise money for SMS athletic programs.
Computer Lab and Library
Technology is an important aspect in education, and St. Michael’s School recognizes the importance of computer-literate students. For group computer instruction, the school library houses a 16-station networked computer lab with internet access. All the classrooms also have internet-accessible computers for individual student use. Weekly computer instruction provided at St. Michael’s by the Coopersville Public School System is part of the SMS curriculum.
The school library, itself, contains over 4500 fiction and non-fiction titles, with a computerized database that aids students in finding that one particular book for which they’re looking. The book collection is continually updated based on both teacher and student requests. All classes visit the library weekly to select books.
Outdoor Classroom and Butterfly Garden
Two unique features of St. Michael’s School, of which we’re proud, are our Outdoor Classroom and Butterfly Garden. In 2000, the SMS students and staff, working under a grant from the Wege Foundation in conjunction with the National Wildlife Federation, created a butterfly-shaped butterfly garden. The garden serves as a practical expression of the SMS life science curriculum.
Not far from the butterfly garden, is an outdoor classroom built by the Knights of Columbus in 1998, and rebuilt in 2007 as an Eagle Scout Service Project by a St. Michael’s School alumnus. The classroom, surrounded by a small wooded area is a beautiful and peaceful spot to occasionally hold classes. |
