THESIS FOCUS The focus of this thesis is to study how a well-designed school that fosters a safe and accessible learning environment can help student’s mental health and wellbeing, and help them avoid a poverty-stricken future with hope of a better life for themselves. The City of Portsmouth has a high concentration of residents of low socioeconomic status, which puts the city’s image and quality of life at risk, and creates potential for its communities to enter an endless cycle of poverty. 30% of children in Portsmouth live in poverty, with many poor effects on brain development showing as early as infancy. Along with poverty, these kids face high crime rates, food insecurity and hunger, infringement of their safety, and bullying, which leads them to have worse academic, social, and economic outcomes than their more fortunate peers. After a public input forum and receiving recommendations for the Portsmouth City Council, the highest priority is the children and the quality of their education and schools. This high school branch of the Portsmouth Success Academy will serve students in grades 9-12, focusing on providing a sense of community and belonging to the students through design, addressing their emotional and physiological security, and allowing access to programs and services so they can prioritize their education and well-being. Design research will focus on human behavior and how a child living in poverty may need a different approach to their education, as well as providing distinct spaces for every type of learner and designing for STEM focused spaces.
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