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Dr. Mona Jain
Middle School
Willis Smith Construction has built
landmarks in collaboration with the
School District of Manatee County for
over 30 years. The relationship continues
with the construction of Dr. Mona Jain
Middle School in Lakewood Ranch. This
is the first middle school to be built since
Buffalo Creek Middle School in 2007, and
is located adjacent to Gullet Elementary.
A ground-breaking ceremony took
place in April to celebrate the beginning
of construction.
The school is named after Dr. Mona Jain,
a retired educator and doctor. She taught
at Bayshore Middle School in Manatee
County. She also served as Director
of Family Health Services for Manatee
County’s Head Start Program. She works
closely with the STEM curriculum, and
is known for inspiring students to
advance their education and focus on
successful careers.
The middle school is a two-story, 162,000
square foot facility which will include the
main office, cafeteria, and kitchen. It will
have two 2-story wings located on the
east side of the building. The north wing
will have the science classrooms and
the Teacher Planning room. The south
Work begind at new Dr. Mona Jain middle school
wing will include the Media Center, an Art
Room, EFC classroom, Health classroom,
and the TV Studio Center.
There will also be the Engineering and
Technology classroom. The outbuildings
will include a chiller plant along with a
covered play area with restrooms for the
Physical Education class. Adjacent to the
Physical Education classroom, there will
be a sports field.
The school is expected to house 1,165
students from Lakewood Ranch and the
surrounding area. The middle school
has a budget of $45 million, however, by
primarily employing local subcontractors,
it is expected to come in under budget.
Completion of Dr. Mona Jain Middle
School is anticipated in August 2019.
PICTURE: JBC Drones LLC
Nathan Carr, Vice President of Willis Smith
Construction, explained: “It is an honor
for Willis Smith Construction to build the
middle school in the Lakewood Ranch
community. We take great pride in our
roots. We have seven members of the
Project Team including myself that reside
in Manatee County. Our children will also
attend the middle school.
“We support our community and we take
great pride in employing subcontractors
from within our area. With three fourths
of the work being performed on the
middle school, each dollar earned
is re-spent seven times, making a
positive impact on the economy within
Manatee County.”
Dr. Mona Jain (fifth from left) at the ground breaking with members of the
Manatee County School District board and senior administration