9 minute read
High marks
New $115 million Ohio high school is centerpiece for ambitious plan to improve facilities
By Thomas Renner
The grades for school infrastructure are in, and they are not good. Most parents of students who brought home grades with marks gathered by the American Society of Civil Engineers would ask for extra tutoring, demand a parent-teacher meeting or— gasp—take the child’s cell phone away for at least a week’s duration.
The engineers gave US schools a D+ grade. School facilities represent the second largest sector of public infrastructure spending, and while there is no comprehensive data source on K-12 public school infrastructure, the available figures are distressing. According to the report, 53% of public school districts require updates or replacement on multiple building systems. 40% of schools do not have a long term facility plan, and more than 30% of schools need to replace windows, plumbing and HVAC systems. Portable facilities, used in 31% of schools, also are failing. 45% of them are in poor condition, according to Education Week. The grade for US schools is even worse than the C- mark the ASCE gave as an overall grade for US infrastructure. The infrastructure bill that passed in Congress in November carried more bad news. Nearly $100 billion that had been earmarked for school modernization was eliminated from the bill.
All photos by Snappy George Photography
The Upper Arlington school district in central Ohio, near Columbus, recognized the problem several years ago. More importantly, the district and its residents took action to address its needs. The district built a new state of the art high school and renovated or built five elementary schools. Beginning in 2015, the district crafted a long-term facilities master plan to address its infrastructure. Voters endorsed the project on the November 2017 ballot, and a $230 million bond issue was supplemented by a capital campaign that raised $7.5 million toward construction costs and project enhancements. The centerpiece to the project is the new high school, which covers 395,000 square feet constructed on three stories. The $115 million project includes a two-story library, an 11-lane indoor pool, gymnasium with a capacity of 2,000, learning spaces with natural light and sustainable energy systems. “We’re investing in our children’s future and this high school will serve students for the next 50, 60 and 70 years,’’ says Chris Potts, the district’s COO. “At our grand opening, we had over 5,000 people come through in a three-hour period. It is not the school district’s building, it’s the community’s building. And I think the community has a lot to be proud of after a four year process to design this building together.”
Ring out the old
The new school in Upper Arlington opened in August 2021, replacing a structure that opened in 1956. The school’s first graduating class included a young athletic hotshot, a three-time all-league player in basketball. The phenom, Jack Nicklaus, also earned medalist honors in the state golf championship in 1956 and ’57 before going on to win 18 golf majors—the most in history—and 73 PGA Tour wins. Like many school districts, Upper Arlington faced serious issues with its school infrastructure. Besides age, the district saw escalating enrollment. The class of 2021 celebrated 475 graduates— more than double the total of the class that first graduated from the building. In addition, education models have evolved since the former
— Chris Potts, COO, Upper Arlington School District
Acoustical smoke vents provide the security of automatic venting and guard against noise intrusion.
BILCO’s acoustical smoke vents feature industry-high STC and OITC sound ratings.
school opened. Technology has been a game-changer. So too has the focus shifted on what and how students learn. “Those buildings were built in the 1950s where it was all about preparing kids for more of a factory model during the Industrial Age,’’ Upper Arlington Superintendent Paul Imhoff told ThisWeekNews. com in 2018. “Now, there are collaboration spaces for kids to work together in different size groups on projects and different types of things, which is the real world. Our facilities hold us back currently. These facilities are going to support that educational vision and philosophy.”
Flexible, collaborative & green
Architects and school officials outlined several objectives that needed to be included in the new school. Flexible, collaborative and green were key goals in every part of the decision-making process. Potts says the board and community felt strongly about sustainability and sustainable practices within the systems. “Efficient systems were essential, but we also wanted to create areas that promoted flexibility and cooperation. Our board continued to say we weren’t going to build a brand new 1950s building. Our thought process was all about preparing kids for their future, not our past.” The academic wing features four common areas that are surrounded by classrooms to allow students and staff to work by themselves or in groups. Offices for counselors and assistant principals are situated throughout the three-floor academic wing. “We think it’s important for our assistant principals and counselors to be around students,’’ Potts says. “On all three floors, you will find an administrator or counselor available to students. Across our district and all six projects, you won’t find an office that’s different. Whether it’s the superintendent or the assistant principal, they’re all the same, just 75 square feet. We wanted to give learning space to students
and staff. We are all mobile with our laptops and iPads.” The building includes a two-story library, gymnasium with a seating capacity for 2,000, fieldhouse, natatorium and a 6,000 square foot fitness center. All of the rooms have occupancy sensors that adjust lighting, heating and air conditioning when they are unoccupied, which will help save money on energy. Another unique element is “Golden Bear Boulevard,” which replaces the cafeteria and includes furniture, study spaces and more. “It’s a flexible space that can be used for study halls or math labs when we’re not using it for lunch,’’ Potts says. “We wanted a building that was flexible and promoted collaboration among all users.” The school mascot is a “Golden Bear”—a nickname that stuck with Nicklaus throughout his legendary career.
Strike up the band
Music and performance are an essential part of the learning environment at Upper Arlington, and the district developed areas specifically for those students. The marching band has a dedicated room that allows members to march directly to the 50-yard line of the football stadium, and music rooms for the band, orchestra and vocal musical departments. Students interested in theater will perform in a smaller black box theater and a 1,550 seat performing arts center that will be the envy of area schools. “It was important to us to give them the type of facility that they deserved,’’ Potts says. “There’s a Broadway style orchestra pit for our amazing orchestra and sightlines in that facility are incredible. The technology package that went into that facility would rival many of the main performing theaters here in Columbus.” Sitting atop the performing arts center are four acoustical smoke vents manufactured by The BILCO Company. Acoustical vents provide the security of automatic venting while also guarding against noise intrusion. BILCO’s vents feature an industry-high STC-50 and OITC-46 sound ratings, and are found in many theaters and performing arts venues. Wolfrum Roofing & Exteriors handled the roofing and smoke vent installation for the general contractor, Ruscilli Construction. Engineered Systems procured the vents for Wolfrum.
— Paul Imhoff, Superintendent, Upper Arlington School District
The acoustical smoke vents were installed above a performing arts center.
“The architects, (Perkins&Will and Moody Nolan) had past experience with BILCO acoustical smoke vents and performed well,’’ says Gary Henry, Superintendent for Wolfrum. “The theater is near the football stadium, and the vents will help control noise from there.”
Committed to success
Families and administrators take education seriously in Upper Arlington. It is ranked as one of the top districts in Ohio by several educational platforms, and the voters recognized the need to improve the facilities. In the 2017 vote, the initiative passed with 55 percent of the voters approving the plan. In addition, nearly 400 people donated to the capital plan to fund the project. School infrastructure, and funding challenges, have been a long-time issue in the United States. Inner-city schools have particularly poor infrastructure and need drastic improvements. “Our children deal with lead, asbestos and mold,’’ Philadelphia council member Helen Gym told the School District of Philadelphia, according to US News & World Report. The average age of schools in the district is 70. “We had to start school weeks later than schools in the suburbs because we don’t have air conditioning and classrooms can reach 90 degrees or higher on our hottest days, which are becoming more and more frequent.” Fortunately for Upper Arlington, the district has addressed its infrastructure needs with buildings that will serve the community for decades. Sure, it came with a hefty price. The price of neglect, however, also is profound and results in drastic long-term consequences for residents and their children. “Instead of letting the costs of maintaining aging buildings continue to grow and having to defer funding from educational operations, our community faced the financial issue head-on and found a solution that will benefit students for generations to come,” Superintendent Imhoff says. “These new flexible, light-filled learning spaces are designed to support students as they develop the skills necessary to serve, lead and succeed.” CCR
The high school includes four acoustical smoke vents manufactured by The BILCO Company.
Project at a Glance
> What: A new $115 million high school in Upper Arlington, Ohio.
> Facts & figures: The structure extends across 395,000 square feet and three stories. The building includes a two-story library, an 11-lane indoor pool, gymnasium with a capacity of 2,000, learning spaces with natural light and sustainable energy systems.
> Why: The previous building opened in 1956. Besides age, the district has seen increased enrollment, and needed more modern facilities for learning and sustainable energy systems.
> What a show: The performing arts center includes seating for 1,550 people, fulldeck orchestra pit, scene shop and two soundproof rooms for music students.
Atop the center are four acoustical smoke vents manufactured by The BILCO
Company. The vents protect against noise intrusion while providing the security of automatic smoke venting.
> Did you know? Legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus graduated in 1957 from Upper
Arlington. He was among the class of nearly 200 to be the first graduates from the first-year building.
