FAQs

There are two major categories of priority need:

Campus & Curriculum Enhancements - $11,500,000

Endowment for Faculty and Students - $1,000,000

• Additional Third and Fourth Grade Classrooms
• Enhanced Safety, Security, and Technology
• Alumni & Student Services Center
• Early Childhood Library
• World Languages Classroom
• New Playground
• Theater Arts Exploration Lab
• Centralized and new Ginsburg Health Clinic
• ADA Compliance (elevator, wheelchair, accessible ramps)

• Enhancing Current Curriculum
• Global Citizenship
• Cross-Cultural Awareness
• Attracting and Retaining the Finest Teachers
• Faculty & Staff Professional Development

We are so fortunate to partner with two award-winning and internationally-recognized architects for these projects. 

Our architects for the Alumni & Student Services Building, Theater Arts Exploration Lab, and renovations to the North/South wings is Marlon Blackell Architects of Fayetteville, Arkansas. He designed the Eastin Family Innovation Lab and the LPA Barn and we are thrilled to continue working with him for these campus enhancements. Marlon Blackwell is one of our nation's top designers and his firm has won numerous awards including the 2021 AIA Dallas Community Honor Award, the 2019 Arkansas Honor Award for the LPA Barn, and the 2020 AIA Gold Award for the Eastin Family Innovation Lab. 

Our architect for the new playground is Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Inc. (MVVA) of Brooklyn, New York. MVVA's projects have received many of the highest professional honors for design excellence and for innovation. The firm’s landscape projects include urban parks, plazas and streetscapes, gardens, and cultural landscapes.

The contractor for the project is Lee Lewis Construction. They have been a contractor for many independent school projects in the Dallas area. Pritchard & Associates, a full service commercial construction project management firm based in Texas, is serving as the owner's representative for the Lamplighter project. 

Yes, all construction workers on campus have been background checked and drug tested by Lee Lewis Construction.

All Lee Lewis construction workers doing work inside the buildings will be vaccinated.

All academic programming will remain in place throughout the construction projects and a significant portion of the renovations will take place during the summer of 2022. In addition, Lamplighter has taken many precautions to ensure the safety and security of our students, faculty, and staff during construction. The safety and security protocols established during construction include:

• All areas where construction work is taking place has been fenced off.
• The construction workers have designated entrances and exits on campus and are required to use only these locations when arriving to or departing from Lamplighter.
• The construction workers do not park on campus.
• Any materials or equipment needed for construction are brought in during non-school hours.
• All construction workers wear Lee Lewis Construction badges.
• All construction workers use portable toilets while on campus.

The current Lamplighter playground was constructed 15 years ago and has provided our students with an expansive and child-friendly playspace. Through current research and findings on brain development in children, we continue to discover more about how children explore and learn. With this in mind, Lamplighter strives to provide the most innovative and cutting-edge playground equipment and outdoor learning areas for our students.

Research suggests that children use different types of play to discover the world around them and learn life skills. Our current playground focuses on active and physical types of play, while the new design will provide opportunities for active play, creative play, and imaginative play. The new playground and outdoor learning spaces incorporate a sense of place into the designs. A playground with a strong sense of place speaks to the culture and spirit of community and fosters a sense of pride and belonging.

Beloved elements of the current playground -- such as the hill, tunnel, and zip line --  will be integrated into the new design, with several enhancements.  Zones have been created for different energy levels. For example, The Mother Tree will promote a different type of play than the Reading Grove. 

The School is partnering with Monstrum, a play environment and fabricator from Denmark, to bring unique play structures to the Lamplighter campus. Monstrum's designs encourage children to create their own stories and let their imaginations run wild. Just like our current playground, the new playground follows all of the rules and safety regulations designed for playground spaces.

No, daily carpool will run as usual at both North and South Carpool locations.

The farm animals will return to campus for the 2022-2023 school year. The chickens are enjoying their home in the Junkins Family Chicken Coop in the LPA Barn. 

Any large trees that will be removed during construction will be recommissioned, with their trunks used as furniture seats for the new playground.

General questions regarding the status of the project should be directed to Dr. Joan Buchanan Hill, Catherine M. Rose Head of School. Dr. Hill will also host grade-level meetings to share more details with smaller groups. Specific questions related to construction should be directed to Marynell Murphy, Chief Operations Officer, and questions about the campaign should be directed to Elizabeth Selzer, Chief Advancement Officer.