Students at Whitefield Academy walked into a brand-new dining hall, library, innovation center and prayer room Thursday, Aug. 13, when the Smyrna private school opened its 62,000-square-foot Learning Commons for the first day of classes.

The facility, funded by a $40.2 million capital campaign and five years in the making, also houses classrooms, meeting spaces, a student-run cafe and an official campus store.

Hundreds of community members got their first look two days earlier at a ribbon-cutting ceremony Aug. 11, where Head of School Dr. Kevin Bracher, board chair Paul Cahill and student body president Camille Hanson addressed the crowd. The Wolfpack cheerleaders, marching band and mascot Wolfie performed as visitors took self-guided tours of the finished building.

"This Learning Commons was a vision from the very first board and founders," Bracher said at the ceremony. "It will transform and enhance campus experience for the entire student body."

The project traces back to 2021, when Whitefield launched its Called Up Capital Campaign. More than 400 donors participated, according to the Cobb Chamber of Commerce, including parents, grandparents, alumni, foundations, faculty, staff and students. Construction began in 2024. The school, now in its 30th year, serves pre-K through 12th-grade students and draws families from across the East Cobb corridor.

Cahill thanked parents, grandparents, alumni, foundations, faculty, staff and students who contributed to the campaign.

CBS Atlanta reported the building also includes a podcast studio, though that feature does not appear in the Cobb Chamber's account of the facility.

Visitors at the Aug. 11 ribbon cutting walked through every wing of the building before students arrived. Two days later, those spaces belonged to the students.