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A host of ongoing issues plagued Dyer-Kelly Elementary School, a 70-year-old Sacramento school in the San Juan Unified School District with a rich history but also a leaky roof, limited restroom facilities and an air conditioning system that frequently failed. In addition, the campus was porous and difficult to secure.

Longtime Dyer-Kelly teacher and literacy coach Hallie Smith-Lozano remembers the old site. “Our school was falling apart. It didn’t feel as safe, and we didn’t have enough restrooms for teachers,” she says.

Now, principal Jamal Hicks calls the brand-new school “a beacon in the community.” The old school was often targeted for theft and vandalism; the new school never gets tagged, and the community is fiercely protective of it.

Sacramento architecture firm Lionakis was awarded the modernization project for Dyer-Kelly and conducted extensive community engagement sessions. The students gave input on classroom designs and weighed in on the playground setup. The decision was made to build a single, two-story enclosed building on site while the existing school continued to operate. “The design was very unique for the district,” explains Laura Knauss, president and chief practice office for Lionakis. “They had never done a two-story elementary school before, but it contains a single point of entry, which provides administrative control and security.”

Some had concerns about the stairs, but the students consistently cite the stairs and two-story design as their favorite features. “Lots of the students told me it reminds them of a community college,” says Knauss.

A priority for teachers and staff was ensuring that the diverse cultures — Middle Eastern, Eastern European, Latin American and others representing as many as 30 different languages — were reflected everywhere. The expression of the cultures is overt in the graphics with color-coded and culture-affirming wayfinding and a unique multi-language welcome wall right at the entry. Each corridor is designated with a color and a continent that’s representative of the student population. “I like the pink hallway the best,” says fourth-grader Aurora Mark, referring to the South America wing, which is color-blocked with a bright pink entry, an outline of the continent and an image of Machu Picchu.

The influx of immigrants and refugees from a multitude of different countries has created an opportunity and a challenge for Capital Region architects to design educational spaces with greater cultural sensitivity that provide a sense of belonging for new students and families. The approach goes beyond mere aesthetics; it encompasses the practice of designing with empathy and understanding for the diverse perspectives of different cultures and communities.
Modernizing aging schools

Capital Region school districts with a high percentage of minority, immigrant and refugee families have taken a focused approach on upgrading schools in traditionally underserved areas. Sacramento City Unified School District identified 12 underserved schools to receive major funding as part of its vision projects. San Juan Unified School District assigned a site grade and summary of priorities for its schools and identified guiding principles for design.

Both districts passed bonds in 2016 and 2020, respectively, totalling $750 million to make critical renovations and update the district’s aging schools. In November 2024, voters approved another $543 million in bond money for SCUSD and $950 million for SJUSD to continue the modernization efforts.    

Cultural amenities help students thrive

In August 2022, Alex Arroyo Hernandez attended a U.S. school for the first time. The Guatemalan-born third grader was nervous; he spoke no English. “The school felt really big, and I didn’t have anyone to talk to,” he says of his first day at Dyer-Kelly.  

The familiar touches helped ease his anxiety; there was a bilingual instructional assistant fluent in Spanish to communicate with Alex and his family and learning pods filled with other students from his home country. “I met some friends that spoke Spanish, too, and they made me feel like I wasn’t the only one,” he says. Alex also made a friend in theater who helped him learn English, giving him the confidence to play Mufasa in the school’s “Lion King” musical. Two short years later, Alex has now been reclassified as a fluent English speaker and helps other newcomers learn the language. That was a turning point, he says. He finally felt like he belonged.

At Dyer-Kelly, a new modern cafeteria includes a large stage to host drama productions under the tutelage of Smith-Lozano and the theater staff. So far, the students have performed the junior versions of “Annie,” “The Lion King,” “Frozen” and “Once on This Island.” Nine-year-old Mabel Fernandez, who receives speech services, was encouraged to audition for the musicals. She has starred in three but says her favorite part was playing Simba, the lead character in “The Lion King.” “My family thought I could do it, and I thought I could do it. Going on stage, I had lots of confidence.” Her classmate Aurora Mark has been in four plays. 

Smith-Lozano, the literacy teacher, notes that since starring in the musicals, both girls have dramatically improved their reading and that learning lines for a musical can improve literacy. “We’ve had newcomers in plays with lead roles. Learning just basic phrases to say on stage is powerful. Their parents are in the audience just sobbing because they can’t believe their child who has been in the country for only a year is performing,” she says. That was true for Iranian-born Ali Karami Yegani, who has been in all the musicals and will be in the upcoming talent show. His parents have attended each of the shows. “They are really proud of me,” he says. Last year the native Farsi speaker reclassified as a fluent English speaker.  

The 760-student population at Dyer-Kelly includes between 65 and 70 percent English language learners, so the need for support staff and community partners to meet the academic and social-emotional needs is high. That created a specific architectural response. “Suddenly we needed more places for privacy and places where families could come and get counseling and mental health services,” says Lionakis president Knauss. The campus was redesigned with designated space for counseling and more individual learning. “We have so much more room to meet the needs of students now,” says Principal Hicks. “We have specific areas and classrooms for ELD (English Language Development) and other programs like our newcomer class. We have a family resource center in the front office area, and we put all kinds of flexible seating in the hallways so if a teacher needs to pull students out, they can do that.”

Since the new facility opened in August 2019, the school has seen steady improvement in its performance metrics. In 2023, 62.3 percent of students at Dyer-Kelly were making progress towards English language proficiency, a 22.9 percent increase from the previous year. While English language arts performance slipped, math scores increased. Teacher retention has also improved and absenteeism is way down, by 13.2 percent. “When you have the space and the resources you need, you are going to see improvements,” says Hicks.

Sister campus site, Greer Elementary School, has a similar focus and was completed by Sacramento firm Nacht & Lewis. To provide optimum safety and security for its staff and 740 students — 45 percent are English language learners — the architects rotated the entire campus 90 degrees. The new front entry is now located off a frontage road instead of a major thoroughfare, an important element for the community. That allowed for more flexible learning spaces outside the classroom, like courtyards and boulder-designed seating enclosed within the secure perimeter. 

Ten-year-old Yousra Zakir, who emigrated to the U.S. from Afghanistan, likes the indoor-outdoor design of her classroom. A large roll-up garage door connects the classroom to the adjacent outdoor learning space.

“That’s very cool to me,” says Yousra. The fifth grader was part of the school’s refugee and newcomer program when she arrived as a kindergartner and only spoke Pashto. In November 2024, she reclassified as a fluent English speaker. Her mom, dad and all three siblings are also now proficient in English.

Another unique feature for Greer Elementary is its laundry facilities.

“We have a washer and dryer in the family resource space,” says Principal Melissa Schupp. “It’s a great resource for the community and an opportunity to get more families engaged on campus while they are doing a load of laundry.” Other schools like Oak Ridge Elementary School and Fern Bacon Middle School, two Nacht & Lewis projects currently under construction for the Sacramento City Unified School District, include a direct response to unhoused students. A donation closet with lockers, laundry facilities and a discreet, safe space for students to get ready and store their belongings are part of the updated design. “Some of these kids are coming to school from challenging circumstances and need a private space to use,” says Brian Maytum, Nacht & Lewis principal.

Another modernization project under construction is the almost 70-year-old Bowling Green Charter McCoy Academy Elementary School, a charter school in SCUSD. The new campus is being designed by HMC Architects and slated for completion in fall 2025. Designated spaces for English language learners and a wellness center that serve both students and the community are part of the new campus. 

“Another big thing we did was create equity in technology,” explains Vipul Safi, principal in charge with HMC. The new standard technology upgrade includes fully interactive 85-inch touchscreen TVs that integrate with apps and tablets. Through an engagement survey, the district learned the neighborhood is also a big soccer-playing community. As a result, a soccer field for ages 12 and under has been added to the school design. “We looked at how we could give the community a safe place to go to play the sport they enjoy before and after school and on weekends,” says Safi.

Security on the new campus is also paramount, but the architects wanted to balance that with aesthetics. “Part of the idea is addressing the community needs, but the other part is being a good neighbor,” says HMC senior project architect Ben White. That led to creating a single point of access on the campus during school hours that’s easily observable and controllable by campus staff, but also balancing that with community access on evenings. The fencing was moved off the street edge and closer to the building, then paired with landscaping berms and bio-retention along the street to form a soft barrier. “Visually it looks nice and offers a much more inviting neighborhood feel,” he says.  

Along the way, the architects are hearing firsthand what the new schools mean to the communities.

“At one of our open houses, we showed the community our design and plans for the school site, and several parents and kids approached me and said, ‘You know, it’s really remarkable that the district is doing this. Nobody ever invests in our neighborhoods.’ They are so grateful,” White says.

Knauss heard a similar comment at the Dyer-Kelly ribbon-cutting ceremony. “One of the parents with some English-speaking skills stood up and spoke to the group. When it was translated, he said, ‘These people have invested in us. We need to protect this place. ’ That really touched me and sums up what we are all working so hard to achieve,” she says.  

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