Ribbon Cutting Celebration at the Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School Modernization

JSFA was honored to be a part of modernization of The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School library and administrative building in San Bernardino, Calif., While the original construction was completed in 1952, renovation was well overdue. With over 4,000 sq. ft. to work with, we were able to create a reimagined space that would help to facilitate the mission of the library, which is to “empower students and staff to become enthusiastic, life-long readers, critical thinkers, skillful researchers, and ethical users of information.”

The library received an improved building exterior which includes a new public entry from the street. The southeast corner has new brick and features a black-and-white portrait of Dr. King alongside a LED screen for school announcements. The project also removed the existing ceiling to open up the spaces, introduction of a curtain wall at the south façade with sun control louvers which provide daylight for the library. In addition to that, the library has a folding glass wall that opens to a media room and leads to the reception area.

Not only did the Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School admin/library renovation reimagined design win The Education Design Excellence Award from American School & University in November of 2021, it was recognized a few months later in February of 2022 by the California Schools to Watch Program. California State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tony Thurmond said, regarding the 16 high-performing California middle schools that were recognized, “These schools are outstanding examples of how educational innovation and a dedicated school community can keep students engaged and learning through a critical stage in their K–12 journey.” He went on to say, that “These high-performing model schools demonstrate academic excellence, social equity, and responsiveness to the needs of young adolescents. For example, Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School in San Bernardino offers multiple supports for students to master curriculum, including daily afterschool tutoring, re-teaching, scaffolding, intersessions, individual monitoring plans, and support classes in English and math.”

We would like to extend our congratulations to the school and are pleased that “the building has become an icon for the school”, We are humbled that the JSFA design helped to facilitate a space that supports the needs of all students, helps to implement literacy instruction for students, and is representative of the community.

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