REDMOND, OR -- Redmond Proficiency Academy welcomes the public into the charter school’s new middle school at a ribbon cutting ceremony, Thursday at 10 a.m.  Teachers and staff will provide tours of the facility at 25th and West Antler, during the community event. "And then later that evening, we’re having an event for our middle school students and families; they’re going to have an open house," RPA's Executive Director Jon Bullock says.

Dr. Bullock tells KBND News he's excited for students to get to know their new school, which was constructed over the summer just down the street from its previous location. "I think that students are going to have a great sense of pride in knowing that our school and community partners built for them a facility that’s designed to provide them with an education as unique as they are. I think they’ll be amazed at some of the finishing touches we put on it to make sure it feels like a warm, welcoming environment in which education can happen in a variety of ways."

He admits it's not just the education that's unique, "We’ve got a rock wall in the multi-purpose room, we’ve got two brand-new performing arts rooms, and we’ve got science rooms I think kids are going to fall in love with. But, I think my favorite part of the facility is our learning suites. Our learning suites consist of two classrooms connected together by a learning lab. And, I think the learning labs are the part of the school where I have the most excitement and pride." He adds, "There are places in our learning lab, for example, where a kid can sit on a beanbag in a carpeted area, and read a book; they can sit at this beautiful glue-lam countertop on a stool and work on their Chromebook; they can sit with their teacher or other students and do small group work; and they can even go outside and take their Chromebook or book outside and work on our outdoor learning patios."