Pfeiffer University is not the only Misenheimer institution renovating its facilities. Gray Stone Day School is as well.

A new attachment to the middle school at Gray Stone will allow both schools to improve teaching science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in what officials are terming an “Innovation Lab.”

Gray Stone, according to head administrator Helen Nance, is working with Omega Construction from Winston-Salem to build the 6,650 square-foot addition to the school.

“Because of the type of construction, it is a very efficient use of funds and takes less time to build than other forms of architecture,” Nance said.

The project will take around seven months to complete and should open in October. The design, Nance said, would allow teachers to use areas for specific projects without the restriction of walls.

“Providing a place to allow students to be experimental and investigative has been discussed by the board of directors and the administration for several years,” Nance said. “It is more than just incorporating science, technology, engineering and math into the current curriculum. It allows students to use all of their knowledge to be creative and innovative in problem solving.”

Jeff Morris, principal of Gray Stone’s high school, said the new facility will allow students to “gain valuable experience in collaboration, communication and critical thinking in courses that promote innovation and design thinking.”

The principal added the courses students will take will utilize skills which will “create opportunities for students to explore technology and engineering activities and force creative problem solving.”

Morris also talked about the long-term benefits of the building.

“Our students will be able to utilize this space for a number of cross-curricular projects that engage students in a deep conversation about real world problems and their potential solutions.”