M-DCPS Hosts Groundbreaking for New $20.6 Million MAST @ FIU Main Building

Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) hosted a groundbreaking ceremony on Monday at the Marine Academy of Science and Technology (MAST) @ FIU, Biscayne Bay Campus, to celebrate a $20.6 million project to construct the campus’s new main building.

“As we enter into tomorrow, these are the types of learning environments we want to provide for our students and our community, and there is nothing better than a high school working with a university like FIU,” said Schools Superintendent Dr. Jose L. Dotres. “This is an amazing campus because it’s not only about classrooms. This new addition provides a greater opportunity for students to learn within a very special environment. It’s almost like a live laboratory.”

In addition to Dr. Dotres, School Board Member Joseph Geller, Chief Officer of Facilities Design and Construction Raul Perez, Chief Communications Officer Jacquelyn C. Diaz, M-DCPS District Representatives, Florida International University Representatives (FIU), MAST @ FIU Principal Roberto E. Sarmiento, school staff, and students attended the event.

“Because of the District’s dedication, we will soon have an additional building to house twice as many students and staff, providing ample space for our teachers, staff, and visitors required to become true global citizens of their environment,” said MAST @ FIU Principal Roberto Sarmiento.

The new,35,000-sq.-ft. building will feature 20 general classrooms with approximately 500 student stations, as well as an administration suite, an indoor and outdoor dining room with a warming kitchen, and an outdoor dining area.

There will also be a new elevated, covered walkway connecting to the existing building, a new parking lot with 36 spaces, sidewalks and fencing, landscaping and utilities, and a roadway on the south side of the property. The building will also be equipped with new solar panels.

The project was awarded to KAST Construction, and the architectural firm Wolfberg Alvarez and Partners was commissioned. The estimated completion is August 2027.

The students are very excited about all of the new possibilities they can envision now that they’ll have a new building added to the campus.

“We’ll have more of an opportunity to grow and to learn,” said Mya Dorvil, a senior at the school. “MAST @ FIU is really big on hands-on learning, allowing us to work on things beyond what we read in our textbooks. We go outside, and we launch bottle rockets. We test the salinity of water in the bay. Now we can take those things to another level with this new building.”

Dorvil said she has a cousin who attended the school when it consisted of trailers and no main building, and said she is amazed she is witnessing this amazing evolution of her school. 

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