DoDEA Americas Opens New Fort Campbell Middle School
by Michael ODay, DoDEA Americas
October 1, 2025

Military families and educators celebrated the ribbon-cutting of the new Fort Campbell Middle School on Friday, unveiling a state-of-the-art facility built to embody 21st-century education principles and prepare students for an evolving world.

The 167,000-square-foot school, which opened to students August 4, 2025 replaces the aging Mahaffey Middle School from 1967. That structure failed to meet modern building codes, anti-terrorism standards, and federal energy requirements, prompting the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) to launch the project in 2017.

"This school is more than walls and windows. It is a living blueprint of our values," DoDEA Director Dr. Beth Schiavino-Narvaez said in her keynote address at the September 12, 2025 ceremony. She described the building as a "third teacher" that shapes learning through its design, promoting collaboration and innovation alongside classroom instructors and peers.

Fort Campbell Garrison Commander Col. James M. Snowden, sharing the stage, opened his remarks with awe at the transformation. "All I can say is, wow. I remember walking through this facility about six weeks ago, maybe two months ago even, and to see it full of life, full of young faces, eager to learn, is truly inspiring," he said.

Construction began in February 2021 after planning milestones dating to May 2017, including design approvals. The project involved demolishing most of the old Fort Campbell High School site while renovating a 41,000-square-foot portion. It wrapped up, on schedule, in July 2025.

Key features highlight DoDEA's emphasis on adaptable, student-centered spaces. The school includes 35 flexible learning studios with movable walls, STEM labs, a renovated gym, cafeteria, and performance areas. Outdoor amenities include an artificial turf soccer field, baseball and softball fields, courts, and an amphitheater. It serves about 700 students, with energy-efficient utilities and full compliance with safety standards.

Snowden reflected on the DoDEA mission and the unique role of its schools in military communities. "It would be easy for me to spotlight the adaptable learning neighborhoods with reconfigurable studios that this new building offers, or the brand new open floor concept plan," he said. "All these things are important, and these features help lean into the overall education of a child."

But he stressed that "what makes this school special is the way its unique features perfectly complement the unique military children that it serves." As children of service members, Snowden noted, they "shoulder the burdens of service and face unique challenges from a young age," such as "saying goodbye to mom or dad when they deploy, not knowing when they may be able to return home or make it home for their birthday, graduation, daddy-daughter dance, or a baseball tournament."

"These are sacrifices each of them makes without ever signing up for service," Snowden added. He praised DoDEA faculty and administration for instinctively understanding these realities, making the school "more than just a place of learning. It is a supportive and adaptable home base. It is a family that encourages students to support one another and celebrate every triumph."

The school aims to foster "a sense of purpose and belonging," Snowden said, where "their voice is valued and their unique gifts are celebrated." It seeks to "open students' minds to a world of possibilities, encouraging them to take risks, ask bold questions and discover what truly excites them," while "celebrating every step forward, big or small," with a focus "not just on results, but on effort and the amazing journey of growth itself."

Principal Dr. Alissa Richards, who has overseen the transition from Mahaffey Middle School over the past three and a half years, drew on a personal analogy to underscore the collaborative effort. "Opening Fort Campbell Middle School has taken on a very similar process as jade," she said, explaining how the durable stone forms from "unique crystals coming together and interlocking" under "tremendous pressure and some heat too," resulting in "something beautiful and strong."

Narvaez tied the design to DoDEA's new blueprint for continuous improvement, launched this year to foster "future-ready learners in future-ready schools." She noted the blueprint challenges educators to empower students as problem-solvers and leaders, with features like open areas supporting dynamic, collaborative learning over traditional lectures.

"We are building not just for today, but for the future," Narvaez said, highlighting benefits such as new career and technical education courses. As well as spaces for arts, science, and service. These elements aim to foster adaptability and community ties, aligning with DoDEA's top national rankings on assessments such as the Nation's Report Card.

Snowden described the ribbon-cutting as symbolizing "a perfect blending of high-tech and collaborative learning with a unique student population that will be encouraged to realize their true potential and succeed." Students will do so "while understanding that they are not alone, and the unique challenges they face are perhaps not quite so unique when they look to their left and to the right—chances are their classmates are likely going through the exact same challenges as they remember that everyone is in this together."

The school is co-located on the high school campus, sharing resources and strengthening bonds within the Fort Campbell community.

"This building was purpose-built to make collaboration thrive," said Narvaez. "We are better together."

DoDEA operates as a field activity of the Office of the Secretary of Defense. It is responsible for planning, directing, coordinating, and managing prekindergarten through 12th-grade educational programs for the Department of Defense. DoDEA operates 161 accredited schools in 9 districts in 11 foreign countries, seven states, Guam, and Puerto Rico, serving over 67,000 military-connected students. DoDEA Americas operates 50 accredited schools across two districts on 16 military installations, including Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard bases in seven states, Puerto Rico and Cuba. Committed to excellence in education, DoDEA fosters well-rounded, lifelong learners, equipping them to succeed in a dynamic world.

Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) | U.S. Department of War

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