Edward “Babe” Gomez Heritage Elementary School

Omaha, Nebraska

Firm

Leo A Daly

Client

Omaha Public Schools

Area

78,800 sq.ft.

Total Cost

$8,010,000

Completion Date

08/2004

Situated in an area with a growing Hispanic population, South Omaha’s new Edward “Babe” Gomez Heritage Elementary School offers bilingual instruction to students of divergent backgrounds. Classes taught in English and Spanish help unify the multi-farious community. Building on this diversity, the school is organized into three distinct neighborhoods. Within each is a “Discovery Center”—an open, central area that serves as a resource center, extension of the media center and multiuse learning zone.
An average class size of 17 students allows for intimate classrooms. Flexible partitions allow adjacent spaces to be combined for large-group activities. Technology infrastructure, including a media-retrieval system, is in place and accommodates evolving teaching methods. The grand glue-laminated wood beam, which fortifies both the front and rear entrances, welcomes an involved community while referencing the wooded ravine surrounding the property.
The premise of “heritage” was, and continues to be, a place that unites a community in preparation for a promising future.