On Friday, November 6th, members of the School Committee and School Building Committee will be taking a "field trip" to visit a variety of elementary schools representing different approaches to designing for size, population composition, and site constraints. Our school tours have been arranged by the design leadership team from Symmes, Maini & McKee, and will include the following stops:
Ditson Elementary School, Billerica--800 students
Thoreau Elementary School, Concord--520 students
Albert F. Argenziano Elementary School at Lincoln Park, Somerville--481 students
Salisbury Elementary School, Salisbury--800 students
We specifically asked to see schools during the day when students were in them so that we can see what different size, space, and population configurations "feel" like. Update to follow after the field trip...
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After visiting these schools, let me first say that Andover has hired a FABULOUS design team! They have created schools with visual appeal (right down to the stairwells), durable materials, integrated technology and creative, flexible learning and gathering spaces.
ReplyDeleteSome of my observations:
Ditson Elementary in Billerica was built for 800 students but was a very warm, welcoming school. There were 770 students in the building, but it was very quiet. My "favorites" from this school are:
1) The Large Group Instruction (LGI) room, which is flexible and big enough to hold a full grade level.
2) The angled corridors, which creates extra space and eliminates the "tunnel" effect.
3) The u-shaped upholstered seating area in the media center.
4) The huge art studio with an exterior door leading to a courtyard.
5) The cafeteria with an entire wall of windows.
This school also had specially placed exterior doors by the gym and LGI with locked access to the rest of the school so these spaces can be used by the community at night and on the weekends.
Thoreau Elementary in Concord was built for 500, so is essentially what Bancroft would be if we built for the current population. The school was beautiful. A similar design would fit in well in the Bancroft neighborhood. The design had some very attractive features, but at the same time felt a bit disjointed and “separate.” My favorite parts were:
1) There were shared tutorial rooms between every two classrooms. These were very useful spaces that could be used for breakout groups or special education instruction.
2) The cafeteria had lots of windows and great views. It also had a lodge-like appeal.
3) The music room was round, with vaulted ceilings and skylights.
4) The library, although not centrally located like ours, was a SPECIAL place. It had high ceilings with beams and skylights as well as an integrated computer lab and numerous attractive built-ins for the collection.
Finally, Argenziano School in Somerville is a K-8 school for about 520 students.
Although it is on three levels, the school seemed quite “comfortable.” Elementary classrooms are all on the first and second floors, but the students go upstairs for specialists like art and music. My favorite parts were:
1) The art studio had vaulted ceilings and skylights (plus views of Boston) as well as important basics like trough sinks and generous work tables. The music room was equally special due to the third-floor location.
2) Open space was built into the hallways and was furnished with couches and rocking chairs for gathering.
3) The cafeteria was open to the first-floor hallway and a balcony on the second floor, which contributed to a sense of community.
4) There was a parent resource room with storage and flexible work tables.
I hope my comments are helpful for those who did not tour the schools. Some of these issues are obviously not important until we get deeper into the design phase, but I think it is important to ask NOW how many of these features can be included and if the size or enrollment composition of the new Bancroft will limit any of these options.