Greenman Elementary School

Narratives

Architect Narrative

Personalized Learning
The school is divided into 7 classroom clusters: one for pre-K and K, and six others that can be for grade-level groupings and/or schools-within-a-school. The cluster is a small learning community of 4 classrooms, 2 technology/resource areas, and a flexible learning corridor. The cluster can be individual rooms or various larger spaces for team teaching. This resource room and corridor serve as a project area for hands-on, project based, group learning.

3-D Textbook
Looking into the mechanical room, porthole windows provide students to observe the equipment, lights, pipes, etc. Each classroom cluster is color-coded green, red, or yellow (a variation on the primary colors), giving the small learning unit their own identity. Rather than tackable wall covering, which requires replacement after only a few years, the walls are covered in soft pine wood. The pine works well for tacking posters, announcements and student art. The pine will develop a rich amber color, never needing replacement or refinishing. Exploring the performing arts themes of the curriculum, playful window arrangements of colored glass create an expression of music, rhythm and harmony.

Social Interaction
The extra wide stairway serves as a gathering area and amphitheater seating for the stage. The corridors are lined with niches and custom cubbies for informal interaction. Within the classroom, window bays with seating provide intimate, quiet areas. The library has a built-in amphitheater area for reading groups.

Community Involvement
The architectural design was a result of a community engagement process, which included district leaders, Board of Education, administrators, teachers, staff, students, parents, community members, and business representatives. Outreach opportunities included a partnership with the local university’s School of Education. This partnership resulted in facilities for hands-on, in-classroom training of University students. In partnership with YMCA’s preschool program, the school provides preschool facilities. In addition, student workshops generated numerous ideas for the design as well as actual artwork for six large wall murals.

Accommodate Change
Within each classroom, there are “Learning Walls”: custom, flexible and adaptable millwork that can conform to each teacher and students’ needs. The pairing of classrooms around a resource room and group activity corridor allows for many variations of learning environment shapes, sizes and functions. The stage is also a flexible performing arts classroom and is double-sided, serving the multipurpose room and the lobby with staircase/amphitheater seating.

Resources
Each classroom has a private restroom. Though at first sounding inefficient, the concept has provided savings for resources and maintenance. These restrooms are self-maintaining by each classroom’s students. Custodial duties and resources are minimized as compared to a typical group restroom down the hallway. In addition, the time of gathering students to use a traditional restroom, and the bullying and intimidation that might occur in large restrooms are eliminated with our design.

Educator Narrative

The design of the new elementary school in our district is providing students with enhanced learning opportunities in a state-of-the-art facility. The building began as a structure of bricks and mortar, but quickly transformed into an alive and vital learning environment.
Opened in the fall of 2004, the building is a partnership between our school district and a local private university. It houses district elementary school students and teachers as well as the university’s Center for Science and Mathematics Methods program.
The school is uniquely designed with a “school-within-a-school” feel. This is created through the design of classroom clusters that overlook outdoor learning courtyards. Every two classrooms share an adjoining resource/project area and every classroom contains a learning wall, bay windows and a private bathroom.
The walls between the rooms contain large windows that create an open and airy feel. This allows even the hallways to serve as learning spaces. The interior windows give teachers in classrooms the ability to monitor groups of students working in adjacent project areas and hallways.
Flexibility is key in the classroom clusters, allowing students to collaborate with others. Since teachers can see into project rooms and hallways, they are able to utilize those spaces more freely. Students are able to work independently and in small groups, often under their own initiation. Teachers can still keep an eye on students to see how they are functioning. This arrangement also creates usable space for the university education majors who meet at the elementary school for courses in teaching science and math content. The university teacher candidates work with small groups of elementary students to put into place the “best practices” they are learning in class. The elementary students are receiving enhanced content instruction while the university teacher candidates are gaining confidence in teaching methods.
The idea for the interior windows actually came from discussions with students.
They told the design team that they liked to move from space to space and go to different places during the school day. Thus, the interior room design came from “listening to our clientele.”
Other design features included clustering classes together for teaming purposes and providing color schemes to help students and adults find their way around the building. Extensive exterior windows also play a role by enhancing and brightening up learning spaces. These windows are also energy efficient because often artificial lights are not needed.
The building’s design also helps emphasize a philosophy that the arts are an important part of academics. Students learn in a variety of ways, and a commitment to the arts as a part of the curriculum is evident in the design of the building. Coming together in the school lobby are the windowed music and art rooms and the performance center. The formal stage is multi-functional in that it is two-sided. One side opens to the gymnasium, which allows for large group gatherings and assemblies. The other side opens onto the lobby area where the grand staircase doubles as small amphitheater seating. Even the exterior windows celebrate the artistic as they create an expression of music, rhythm and harmony through their arrangement in the walls. The building itself piques interest and stimulates the mind, facilitating learning. The school appeals to the senses and provides visual and tactile experiences for all.