Photos: Lexington's New River Bluff High Ready for Students

River Bluff High School teachers and staff are preparing the new school for the 1,400 students who will walk through the doors Monday. 

The 523,841-square-foot school on Corley Mill Road features collaborative teaching areas, specialty labs, a learning commons (media center), a performing arts center, a cafeteria, a cyber cafe and two gyms.

Principal Luke Clamp said he's excited about the collaboration encouraged by the new school's design. 

"We expect our students to learn everywhere all the time," Clamp said. "If learning was only supposed to happen in the classrooms, then that's where all the furniture would be. But it's not. We have furniture spread out throughout the whole school." 

The school is divided into four wings, each with classrooms separated by an open area with comfortable seating. That area is for teachers to bring classes together for certain lessons or for students to gather for group work. 

The school also has eight "collaborative commons," areas where teachers have their own cubicles and can work together on planning. 

Lead science teacher Lisa Rose said the new setup makes it easier for teachers to work together.

"It's a very team atmosphere," Rose said. "Teachers are usually located in their classrooms. When you're like that, you have to make a really concerted effort to be collaborative. Here, I can just turn around and say, 'Hey, what did you think about this?'"

The collaborative commons areas also have tables and seating where teachers can meet with students.

Teachers and students will have "white space," time that they can choose how to use. That's when students can meet with teachers in the collaborative commons to get extra help or make up work, eat lunch or study independently. 

"The attitude here is very, very, very proactive and everybody's just really excited," Rose said. "Seeing students come in here last week for registration, everybody just seemed so positive. And I think with that attitude of positivity, it's really going to work. And it's not just going to work, it's going to be something like you've never seen before."