TREVOR DAY SCHOOL
The New Vertical Campus
Exceprted with permission from “312 East 95th Street...a Pictorial,” Trevor Day School Magazine, Winter 2015-2016
The New Building
“everything was white. everything clean, sanitary.
all objects eager to be used. tables, untouched whiteboards waiting for their first loud squeak. walls, waiting for posters. clocks, waiting to be watched and dreaded. locker room benches, waiting to be laughed and laid upon.�
-- the new building by Hannah Sher, grade 7
The UnCommon Room by Daniel Feigin, Assistant Head of School and Director of the High School
Circa 1981 As a 6th-grade student I was so excited about Trevor’s Common Room. I had never had free time in an open space during the school day and the prospect was intoxicating. “I can hang out with my friends and just chill,” I thought. “Finally, I can relax for a bit.” I see the same expectation in every 6th-grader at Trevor in his or her first days as a Middle School student. Yet it took just three short weeks in the fall of 1981 for me to realize that it was not free time that I had been granted; it was discretionary time—and the difference between the two was monumental. Although it was called the Common Room, I recognized that both the room and the experience were quite uncommon. The shared space placed teachers around the perimeter of the room, with 6th-, 7th-, and 8th-grade students in the middle. Such logistics were conducive to developing special relationships and time-management skills. I watched teachers and older students do their work in the Common Room. The teachers were modeling behavior for the students; the older students were modeling for the younger students. A culture was born and nurtured.
Much of our 8th-grade mosaic project (thank you, Ms. Sabatacakis) was done outside of class. It was not a big deal to check in with Ms. Sabat during a discretionary period; in fact, it was expected. Our teachers learned more about us as learners in the time we spent outside of class and through the questions we raised. The students learned more about the teachers, and in turn, we worked harder for people we knew and respected. All of this was made possible by the space design and the belief that, given the opportunity and responsibility, students will rise to the occasion.
Circa 1992 When I started teaching at Trevor, I began to understand the more subtle values of the common spaces. I realized that my class never had to end at “the bell” (although it should be noted thatTrevor never had bells). Our debates and class discussions would often spill into the common spaces and draw in other community members. The spaces cultivated an intellectual environment and drove higher-level thinking. We were having so much fun working with the students inside and outside of the classroom, and we could see its daily impact. We were the luckiest faculty in the world.
I also benefited as a coach (boys’ varsity soccer and varsity basketball), with unlimited access to my team in The Center. We would check in throughout the day to discuss upcoming games, practices, and even the latest hip hop crazes. The relationships and chemistry bred from these opportunities were quantifiable, both in wins and in lifelong friendships.
Circa 2015 The physical design of a space gives the visitor a clear understanding about the mission, vision, and values of an institution. At Trevor, it is instantly clear that our unique Common Rooms and Center serve as the nuclei of our academic community. As an administrator, and as an alum, I am incredibly proud of how our mission is communicated so vibrantly through these unique spaces. Many independent schools boast strong teacher-student relationships but few dedicate the time and space to cultivate those relationships. Trevor has many tenets that promote these relationships inside and outside of the classroom, including our advisory program and small class size. But most central to our philosophy and mission is the design and practice of our common spaces. With students populating the center of the room and faculty desks as satellites along its perimeter, the close proximity promotes a collegiality and professional development within
and between disciplines. Departments are not in silos, and each faculty member is encouraged to engage interdepartmentally and understand the school’s entire curriculum. When we interview prospective faculty, we often take them on a tour of our common spaces before we sit down for a formal interview. We gauge the candidate’s reaction to the physical design and the school’s total access to faculty. The faculty members who are attracted to our design are deeply committed to both the academic and social/emotional development of young people. Our faculty wants to be connected and available to the students and to their colleagues. Our students quickly learn that with such faculty accessibility comes a responsibility to be proactive about their education. To meet, debate, ask questions, share theories, develop clarity of ideas, and explore passions outside of the classroom—this intellectual activity is deeply ingrained in our culture, and one that is advanced by a deliberate architectural design. The ability to design from the ground up in our new facilities has been a unique gift. We instructed our architects to start with Trevor’s common rooms and other shared spaces, and design outward from those central areas. They could not have responded more adeptly and enthusiastically to this concept.
It’s All about Relationships by Scott R. Reisinger, Head of School It’s all about relationships … With the advent and explosion of distance learning, all schools are challenged to demonstrate their relevance. As methodologies and pedagogies evolve, what it means to be a great school is constantly shifting. What is the value proposition of continuing to privilege face-to-face contact between teachers and students, over more impersonal methods such as e-learning? Trevor is on the cutting edge of these debates. To witness classes from Pre-K through grade 12 is to experience inquiry-based education alive and well, driven by the question that from a young age defines human inquiry: “Why?” This question and other essential questions with which students grapple at all grade levels define who we are as a school community. It is further expressed architecturally through our commitment to the Fourth- and Fifth-Grade Common Room on 88th Street and the Middle School Common Room and High School Center on 95th Street. These spaces are the architectural embodiment of what we believe about education. It is, at its roots, all about relationships. The most important element in any school is the relationship between student and teacher. The common space approach at Trevor celebrates this very fact.
Our school is built around The Center, quite literally. It’s the mission of the school. - faculty member
“Our school is built around The Center, quite literally. It’s the mission of the school.” notch preparation for college, but also a preparation for life itself. We aim to foster a diverse community of lifelong learners, leaders, and global citizens who go forth to make a difference, personally and in our larger world.
it’s up to you to make relationships and advocate for yourself.”
--Trevor Day faculty member simply education, “by the book,” but
It’s all about relationships. . Scott R. Reisinger, Intellectual curiosity is a key in creating such young women and men of character. A student recently wrote, “The intimacy you find in The Center allows for a lot of personal experiences you don’t find elsewhere. We’re all working together and enjoying being curious, not for some test score but for the sake of legitimate curiosity.” This same authentic curiosity also yields practical results. A parent of an alumna wrote, “My daughter just graduated from college last year. She’s employed, and she’s already fought twice for increases in her salary. My husband and I thought, ‘Where did she get that from?’ She attributes it to Trevor, the culture of all the teachers in the Common Room, everybody being so available and approachable, and the idea that
At Trevor, students are known, cared for, and loved. The Common Rooms and The Center mean that no one falls through the cracks, and that students Head of School can work with their teachers and advisors in a holistic manner. This is not
rather education that finds strength in collaboration, access to teachers, and creative and communal problemsolving. When all is said and done, it is all about relationships.
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The common spaces are part of our mission at Trevor. They are very much who we are. They create a major value proposition for our children. For, in the end, Trevor offers not only a top-preparation for college, but also a preparation for life itself. We aim to foster a diverse communi
students can work with their teachers and advisors in a holistic manner. This is not simply education, “by the book,” but rather education that finds strength in collaboration, access to teachers, and creative and communal problem solving. When all is said and done, it is all about relationships.
View of the cityscape from the gym
Mezzanine fitness overlooking the gym
The auditorium
Steeply-raked seating in the auditorium has exceptional sight lines
The library is adjacent to the dining room.
Classroom
The dining room
Classroom
A Tall Order “Constructing a new 12-story building in the heart of Manhattan was no easy task”
2,400 pages of specifications and 500 drawings contained within 2 volumes of construction documents
1,800 tons of steel used for the building’s structure
361 piles driven into the ground to
support the building — each 65 feet long and 12 inches in diameter
8 trusses support the building — each of which is 75 feet long, 6 feet high, and weighs 35 tons
272 aluminum and glass panels are in the curtain wall system in the tower
110,000 square feet comprise the building’s area
1,000 cubic yards of concrete poured for the foundation
50’ x 19’ — the size of the largest window in the building
PETER GISOLFI ASSOCIATES Architects • Landscape Architects, LLP
566 Warburton Avenue Hastings-on-Hudson, NY 10706 Phone: (914) 478-3677 www.petergisolfiassociates.com
Peter Gisolfi Associates is a firm of architects, landscape architects, and interior architects located in Hastings-on-Hudson, NY with a secondary office in New Haven, CT. We are known for designing campuses and buildings that enhance an academic institution’s sense of community. We design buildings based on important pedagogical ideas and clearly-articulated objectives. Our projects are intrinsically sustainable, relating to the environment and the man-made context in regionally appropriate ways.