News for Collegiate School Families and Friends
Holiday 2015
Lower School’s Centennial Hall Now Open for Dining and Much More …
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ith its sun-drenched spaces and views of green playing fields and Fort Cougar, Collegiate’s new Centennial Hall is a happy, bright spot on the Lower School side of campus. Completed in late September, students arrived for their first lunch in their new colorful cafeteria wide-eyed and excited. They filed through the new serving lines and took their seats at round tables that make lunchtime conversation more fun. Pointing at the pendant lamps and big windows, students were heard declaring the space to be “awesome” and “so cool.” At the official opening of the 10,000-square-foot brick building on Oct. 7, students and teachers, along with trustees and the professionals who made the building happen (architects, planners, builders, contractors, landscape architects), were on hand for the event. John O’Neill, chair of the Board of Trustees, thanked the generous donors who made the building possible, and Head of School Steve Hickman invoked a Lower School favorite — “I Am a Promise.” Students enter our Lower School filled with promise and possibilities that only grow throughout their time here. Centennial Hall also brings new promise and possibilities. Lower School Head Debbie Miller is delighted to consider what they might be — meetings of all sizes, Skype and collaborative sessions, speakers, admission events, special dinners and many more yet to be dreamed. “One of my favorite things about Centennial Hall is the siting of the building,” says Scott Carson, Collegiate’s
Board Chairman John O’Neill welcomes students to the Centennial Hall opening celebration.
Director of Facilities Management and Construction. “During the planning stage we thoroughly studied a number of locations on the Lower School side of campus as potential building (or renovation) sites, but settled on the present location for several reasons.” He mentions the building’s ability to enclose the Fort Cougar space and create a new “quadrant” on the Lower School side of campus and its proximity to the carpool drop-off, parking and Mooreland Road access as part of its appeal. “It’s a cozy location and, by using similar materials that were used for the construction of Luck and Reynolds Halls, we have created a unified, coherent
campus setting. When the building is viewed from the steps or walkway at the east side of Fort Cougar, the enclosed space feels “just right” and properly scaled. We also were given the ability to provide an outdoor dining space which has gotten quite a bit of use in the last few weeks. The kitchen space has more than doubled in area (as compared to Burke Hall) and our architects and consultants worked very closely with us to ensure that it has the most modern equipment. In addition to its beauty and functionality, Mr. Carson says various aspects of the building’s infrastructure are environmentally efficient. Practical, continued on back cover