The new building will immediately impact how teachers are able to deliver instruction because they will have access to the most up-to-date equipment and 21st century technology. For example:
- All science classrooms will be outfitted for the type of science taught in it including all necessary safety equipment to perform required experiments in that field.
- Larger science classrooms will enable students to safely perform experiments using tools from modern-day laboratories
- Our engineering program will be enhanced with an efficient fabrication space that will allow students to design, build and test their prototypes.
- Interdisciplinary courses in the Humanities will have access to large group instructional spaces
- The new television studio will incorporate up to date Mass Media & Television Production to further develop the existing programs.
- The Fitness Center & Weight Room will house the types of training equipment that one could find in any commercial health club.
- Music, theatre dance and chorus classrooms will have proper acoustics, practice spaces, and secured storage areas to assure the continued success of our dance, vocal, and instrumental music programs
- Art classrooms will provide natural light and be large enough for students to fully explore their creativity.
- The Auditorium will be fully outfitted with electronic, sound, and lighting equipment necessary for dramatic productions and music performances while being historically restored.
The new and fully renovated buildings will afford us the opportunity to flexibly group students which has been shown in research enhance learning. All of our teachers will have access to spaces that are both large and small, enabling them to combine with other classes for interdisciplinary instruction or to split a class in order to work with smaller groups of students who may be in need of remediation or enrichment.
The cluster configuration of the classrooms and location of teacher work-spaces invites enrichment and collaboration. Teachers of English/Language Arts, Social Studies, World Languages, and the arts will be clustered together into a Culture & Humanities pod. Likewise, science, math, business technology, and engineering classrooms will be located adjacent to each other in a STEM pod. So, in the new building the physics and calculus teacher could be sharing an office and if the math teacher needs a “real life” example of a calculus function, the physics teacher is just a conversation away! In our current building, teachers may go weeks without seeing each other because of the size of the building alone.
The Library/Media Center be housed in a historically restored dance hall in Coburn Building. Here students will have access to the space and resources necessary for small groups of students to complete projects and other forms of hands-on assessment without disturbing others. Likewise, for students in need of remediation or support, the new Academic Support Centers will have flexible grouping spaces, study corrals, and dedicated technology.