Barton Academy renovation plans unveiled

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - A non-profit benefiting historic Barton Academy in Mobile is raising funds to renovate the building to make it a “state of the art school designed for global learning”

The Barton Academy Foundation announced on Monday that they hope to raise $12-15 million to build the Barton Academy for Advanced World Studies.

“The new Barton Academy will do more than prepare students for success in a global economy, it will make our area more attractive to foreign investment and help secuer our position as the Gulf Coast’s international economic leader,” said Jaime Betbeze, president of the Barton Academy foundation.

The exterior repairs of the building, which has been vacant since 2007 when the central office moved to west Mobile, will be funded by $3.5 million of a construction bond.

That money was approved by the Mobile County School Board, as part of a $100 million total bond.

“As a global investment grows in Mobile County, a specialty school for world studies is a perfect for our students and our community,” said Mobile County schools Superintendent Martha Peek.

A release from the Barton Academy foundation said the school will achieve its goal of “challenging Mobile students to achieve on the same level as top students throughout the world” through a project-based curriculum.

Officials said the new school, expected to begin construction in 2014, will house about 400 students in grades 6-12. Officials said their goal is to educate those students “in a multicultural setting with an emphasis on social diversity and international awareness.”

Officials said students will graduate the school proficient in at least two languages other than English and have the ability to think critically and communicate across cultural lines.

“We will work closely with international corporations and business leaders and invite guest lecturers from around the globe to enrich courses with real-world-experiences,” Peek added.

The Barton Academy Foundation said they hope that after the exterior work to the building is completed, they will have raised enough of their goal money to begin the interior renovation work.