Space in the Classroom

Most of our classrooms are from a different era. It is a testament to the school's stewardship of the campus that our 1950s classrooms remain largely unchanged. What they lack, in a word, is "space". Classrooms will increase in size by approximately 30%. In the new build, teachers will not be forced to configure classrooms in rows of desks. Space offers flexibility, allowing for group and collaborative work that won't take place on the floors of hallways, the auditorium stage or in the dining hall. In addition to the flexibility of larger classrooms, the new building will have dedicated breakout spaces with sightlines to classrooms for ease of supervision. The utility of this change is invaluable; students will have access to independent study options and collaborative learning spaces, not to mention counselling space will double, enabling specialized learning and assessment.

Larger classrooms aside, our cinderblock building--while safe in an earthquake--is not set up for an online world. As one might expect, the current building has proven extraordinarily difficult to introduce reliable high-speed Wi-Fi to classrooms. Reliable, fast internet in every learning space is an exciting prospect for students and faculty alike.