FOR HIS BEST

Our campus transformation will support the continued evolution of a Landon education. The teacher-coach-mentors at Landon live out our mission to challenge and inspire boys each and every day. In the development of our Campus Master Plan, designs were directly inspired by the needs of students and the passionate and involved faculty and staff who guide them.

Landon’s new and renovated spaces will allow us to update our programs and pedagogy to reinforce the traditions and values we’ve held from our founding – to develop boys of character and intellect through an education that encourages them to form meaningful connections, be curious and innovative, and grow to better understand themselves, each other, and the constantly evolving world around them.

Building Community

The faculty at Landon are energized and excited to use these spaces to begin a new phase of educational development and transformational programming. As with many aspects of Landon, these changes begin with a strengthening of community. Structurally, one of the more prominent changes that students will experience is the gathering of all divisions onto one quad. Head of Lower School Tara Montague is excited to have the entire Lower School division under one roof. “For the first time in years, all the faculty of the Lower School will be in the same building, which lends itself beautifully to cross-curricular collaborations. For instance, art and science classes won’t be across the campus anymore.” There will be more opportunities for student mentoring, such as Upper School students presenting advanced science projects to the Middle School, or Middle School students reading to Lower School classes.

The Banfield Academic Center (BAC) will be renovated to include classrooms for both the Middle and Upper Schools. “We’re working to create a more welcoming place,” Head of Upper School Ehren Federowicz says. “Some Upper School faculty will get to know the Lower and Middle School students and see their development in a way they might not have been able to before, enhancing those vital relationships between the boys and faculty.” The new BAC space also features a shared wing between the Middle and Upper Schools, inviting more casual daily interactions with each other. “This move will connect Middle School boys more fully to their goal of actively preparing for their role as high schoolers,” says Head of Middle School Erin Duffy.

The new spaces will also encourage more gatherings. Spacious common areas in the BAC can be used for gradewide meetings for the Middle School, and the new Boehly Upper School will have areas for larger presentations. “Something as simple as a space to meet can really help foster a sense of community,” Erin says.

Developmental Needs Of Boys

Perhaps one of the most important programmatic changes that will be taking place is the return of Grade 6 to the Lower School. The change was made with much faculty deliberation. “Grade 6 was originally moved to Middle School for space constraints,” Tara says. “But research has shown that, developmentally, sixth graders in particular are more likely to behave socially with whatever group they’re with at the moment. In the Lower School setting, they can maintain a sense of childhood and explore more opportunities to be leaders instead of following older children and being exposed to things they aren’t ready for.” Erin is also confident that the separation of Grade 6 from the Middle School will allow teachers and faculty to better prepare seventh and eighth graders for Upper School. The renovated Freeman Family Lower School is being designed with Grade 6 in mind. An entire floor and suite of classrooms will support their leadership, including space to carry out capstone projects and practice student government.

Effective And Innovative Teaching And Learning

With the redesigned campus comes larger, more functional academic spaces and rooms designed for flexibility. “We are so eager to innovate and try new things, and often space can be an impediment, whether there’s just not enough space or the space is double booked,” says Tara. From new classrooms to smaller collaborative spaces, boys can expect an experience designed to elevate how they learn and communicate with each other. “Let’s say a Middle School history class is doing a debate on the partition of India; the teacher can move around the breakout rooms or monitor through the windows while students work in small groups. Then they can come back to the central classroom to debate,” Erin explains. The classrooms will feature mobile furniture that allows for more spontaneity. “For instance,” she continues, “furniture can be moved, stacked, or folded to create a giant open space for 16 boys and their teacher to talk about Romeo and Juliet. They can move around the room or have a sword fight, or a teacher could jump up on a table to help the boys understand the tower scene.” is the academic technology coordinator, the teacher-facing figure who will help faculty navigate the new resources. Fred is eager to bring each classroom impressive enhancements such as the interactive boards. “The ease of use for teachers and students will enhance the collaborative nature of a lesson,” he explains. “From anywhere in the room, a teacher or a student can wirelessly display something on the screen. It will be like a flatscreen TV that you can draw all over. Multiple students can display things at the same time. It’s going to change the way learning happens.”

The goal, according to Tara, is to encourage students to perform at their highest level. “There is something that happens, to both the children and adults, when they work in comfortable spaces that are well lit, spacious, and have high ceilings and ample wall space. These factors can change the neurochemistry of your brain to make you more attuned and attentive.”

Technology Advancements

When reviewing programs to ensure they continue to meet the needs of today’s boys, it’s critical to keep up to date with the latest technology. “We’re making thoughtful and targeted updates,” says Assistant Head of School Charles Franklin. “There will be interactive flat screen boards in every classroom, alongside other technical improvements that will be user friendly and seamlessly integrated. We’re excited about how this will impact not only the STEM classes, but all of our classes here at Landon.”

“The intention is and always has been to elevate the Landon experience,” Charles Franklin says. “We want to further develop those core relationships, strengthen our sense of community, and acknowledge that all of these things are enhanced by putting boys and teachers in better spaces.”

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATH

With technology at their fingertips, students can expect enhancements and additions to the STEM curriculum. Innovative Lower and Middle School makerspaces will be available for use in all subjects. These spaces will be less structured and offer a wide range of equipment, from 3D printers to hand tools. “This physical opportunity to be creative is extremely important for boys,” Erin says. “We’re putting them in a space where they have to collaborate, communicate, and be creative, which will help them understand and solve realworld problems, like how to build a bridge for a town that always floods in Nigeria.” She notes that the new makerspaces will allow the boys to learn from mistakes. “They will fail, and this is a place for them to do that and know it’s okay.”

Landon has created new positions to help bring the School’s high-tech visions to life. Fred Haller is Landon’s chief technology officer, and Nicole Maggio

A key part of our progress here will be the Brooke and Rosemary Seawell STEM Center in the Boehly Upper School which will include new labs dedicated to specific disciplines, including two for biology and one each for physics, chemistry, and forensics. Large corridors can be used as a multiclass teachable space or for experiments. “You may walk into a hall to find a physics class measuring acceleration and forces of gas-propelled racing cars,” Ehren Federowicz explains. “It’s going to provide a transformational learning space for many of our science courses.”

The facilities will allow Landon faculty to develop new, expansive STEM programs that better address the skills students need to succeed in college and beyond. For instance, Landon is preparing to unveil a new Grade 7 integrated science curriculum with elements of chemistry, physical science, life science, and earth science. “We’re really going to be able to take advantage of these changes in the new space,” says Erin Duffy, “with a variety of hands-on activities like robotics and dissections.”

Ehren explains, “STEM is about the interrelated nature of math and the sciences and understanding how that knowledge can be applied – to make something or solve something in any field.” Following this philosophy, the Upper School faculty are gearing up to design an expanded technology curriculum. “Considering the interests, desires, and needs of our students,” Fred adds, “we are looking to have new course offerings beginning in 2023.” These courses could include areas such as robotics, artificial intelligence, and more versatile computer programming options.

The Wilson Building will include renovated visual art classrooms and studios, as well as a new gallery for student work and visiting artists. Plans for a dedicated woodshop will allow Landon to add woodworking electives to the curriculum.

The Banfield Academic Center will be remodeled to include Middle and Upper School classrooms and accessible, centrally located advising offices. It will also feature common areas, a new Upper School learning center, a college counseling center, and two libraries for the Upper and Middle Schools.