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THRIVE! Campaign Final Phase Complete Expands Learning Opportunities for All
THRIVE!CAMPAIGN FINAL PHASE IS NOW COMPLETE
Seven Spaces Redesigned, Remodeled and Repurposed to Expand Learning Opportunities for All
By Linda Maxwell Stefanelli ’62
THRIVE! CAMPAIGN RESULTS
FINANCIAL AID GOAL: $11.5M
ACADEMIC PROGRAMS & FACILITIES & FACULTY SUPPORT
GOAL: $11.15M
RAISED: $13.1M
RAISED: $12.6M
ATHLETIC FACILITIES
GOAL: $18M
RAISED: $18M
ANNUAL FUND
GOAL: $14.35M
RAISED: $14.9M
TOTAL GOAL: $55M RAISED: $58.6M
like its students whose exuberance and curiosity enliven the campus, Princeton Day School is constantly seeking to improve and pursuing its dreams for the future. over the summer, capping off months of planning and preparation, many of those dreams became reality as seven existing spaces were transformed into learning environments imaginatively designed to maximize skills acquisition and applied learning across disciplines. The work represents the completion of the final phase of the Thrive! campaign, which raised an unprecedented $58.6 million for facilities and programs.
The new facilities, which benefit all three divisions, include lower and middle School Steam classrooms, renovated lower and middle School libraries, reimagined studio spaces for lower School science and art, and a teaching kitchen designed for use by students from PreK through Grade 12. all the changes are contained within the footprint of the existing buildings, with rooms cleverly reconfigured to yield extra space. in spite of shipping delays caused by the pandemic and a nationwide labor shortage, the work was completed in just 10 weeks and the sparkling new spaces greeted students when the new school year began on September 9.
“The work that was completed this summer is the fulfillment of a promise,” says head of School Paul Stellato, who has championed these school-wide programs and the importance of developing best-
Lower School Library
practice curriculum that informs facilities design. “The original Steam program was written five years ago as a PreK-12 curriculum. We intentionally completed the Wellemeyer Steam center in the Upper School first, but the promise was always that building facilities in the lower and middle schools would round out the entire endeavor.”
“These Steam classrooms are transformative,” says Jason Park, chair of the Upper and middle School Science Department. “The spaces are physical representations of best thinking in teaching and learning. The intentionally designed environment and resources facilitate authentic learning and hands-on skills development that students apply to help them create, problem solve and imagine possibilities. This is a fundamental shift in emphasis from students just needing to memorize and regurgitate content and will help them in any field they might pursue.”
locating the Steam facilities adjacent to the libraries in the lower and middle Schools was a particularly deliberate decision to center each division around these interdisciplinary resource centers. “The design was informed by the goal of creating highly visible, centralized spaces where kids can gather and work together. all of the library and Steam spaces have banks of large windows onto the hallways and on adjoining walls, along with open shelving to display work and clear bins for Steam tools and crafts. a beautiful and transparent ‘envelope’ makes people happy and says the school values this work,” Park explains.
both the middle and lower School Steam and library spaces, as well as the lower School science and art studios, are light and airy with maple veneer cabinetry, solid surface counters and white tabletops. Steam tables have wheels and height-adjustment features so they can be moved around to accommodate varying configurations and raised or lowered so students can work sitting or standing. ample location-optimized power sources include ceiling-mounted electrical cords that pull down and outlets embedded in the tables to avoid tangles and maximize safety. State-ofthe-art equipment includes Dten D7 video whiteboard screens with Zoom capability, green screens for digitally creating special effects, 3D printers and laser cutters that can cut vinyl and glass.
Lower School second floor science lab with science teacher Aaron Schomburg
New Lower School Spaces Invite Collaboration and Creativity
“The new spaces and resources enhance our lower School programming, allowing students to apply in Steam the specific skills our faculty teaches in their individual disciplines. it’s really exciting to us because we know these opportunities for applied skills and student collaborations will benefit the kids as they go into middle School and Upper School,” says lower School head Dr. Sandra Wang. “Plus, the new spaces are beautiful and inviting. as the first space you see on entering the lower School, the library is more welcoming and much brighter,” she adds. The lower School library has been reconfigured for better flow and easier access to books, while the new round light fixtures banded in bright yellow rims add a touch of whimsy and echo circular designs elsewhere in the space. nestled into the back of the room, facing the window, is a free-standing half wall enclosing a semi-circular reading nook with built-in seating and soft purple ottomans. “it’s great seeing how engaged the students are in the new library and Steam spaces,” says lower School librarian and Steam Specialist Danielle redd. “and it’s especially rewarding after lower School students stayed in their homerooms last year and books were delivered to classes on carts.”
The lower School Steam classroom is located in what used to be the faculty room and copy center adjacent to the library. a handsome new sliding barn door connects the two spaces. The original space, which had been set back from the hall, was enlarged by moving the wall to make it flush with the corridor. lower School technology coordinator carol olson expresses how overjoyed she is to teach in the new space: “This is so exciting. i feel like i’ve just begun my career even though i’ve been teaching for 40 years!”
With similar creativity, space was gained in the reimagined second floor lower School science lab by removing a storage closet and a large chemical hood system.
Before and after Lower School STEAM Center
Eager scientists enjoy the spacious new Lower School science lab
Before and after in the Lower School second floor art studio with art teacher Jen Gallagher.
— Aaron Schomburg, LS science teacher
new lab tables and built-in storage, along with state-of-the-art resources for crafting 3D models, create the foundation for powerful, hands-on science learning experiences. “The larger, newly refurbished space and new tools promote teamwork, deeper explorations and extended projects,” says lower School science teacher aaron Schomburg. “our students are so excited, curious and ready to investigate in this beautiful facility. These renovations, like the Steam center downstairs, underscore the School’s commitment to interdisciplinary learning. our students will have some tough problems to solve as adults and they’ll need teamwork and creativity, thinking outside the box, applied problem-solving experience and a lot of soft skills. We as teachers need to recognize and utilize different approaches to teaching. content is still important but so is doing everything we can to fuel their skills, mindset and love of learning. in this digital world flooded with information, students can always find out the content; they need to know how to use this information to tackle the real-world problems that lie ahead,” he explains. The lower School art studio also underwent significant enhancements. here, too, a large closet near the entrance was removed, creating more physical space for students to work, with storage cleverly maximized along the walls. With the room’s sight lines completely opened up, the entire space and new collaborative work tables and seating are bathed in both natural window light and new ceiling lights. The painted concrete flooring was laboriously stripped down to give the room an industrial vibe while also ensuring that the unfinished surface is impervious to paint spatter. lower School art teacher Jen Gallagher says, “being in a new clean space, you just feel energized. it makes you want to try new things.”
ceramics is one of the students’ favorite mediums and the need for a kiln near the art room led to more inspired repurposing of the lower School’s existing footprint. two littlenoticed and rarely used second floor balconies above the lower School
New Middle School STEAM Center adjacent to the Library
entrance doors were enclosed: one is now dedicated to storage of ceramics materials and the other has been fitted for a new kiln embraced by the existing brick walls, which provide a ready-made fireproof barrier.
mr. Stellato notes that the integration of art into Steam programming is central to the School’s Steam philosophy. he explains, “We added the ‘a’ to Stem because all the disciplines in the Steam center are, like art, acts of creation. Whether in ceramics or design classes, no two problems are alike, demanding that students set goals and design backward from them. in that pursuit, the ways in which our colleagues in the art department approach their work align beautifully with the habits of thought and process we seek to instill through the Steam curriculum.” ms. Gallagher agrees, “Steam is an extension of art, so it melds easily. i get inspired in the art studio, then i can bring projects down to the Steam center and use the equipment to work on them.”
— Renée C. Price, Middle School
Head and Assistant Head of
School for Academic Life
Middle Schoolers Revel in STEAM Space of Their Own
The new middle School Steam center occupies a previously underutilized space in the capacious middle School library and brings Steam to the forefront physically and as the nexus of interdisciplinary learning for 5th-8th graders. “it makes a huge difference to middle School kids to have sophisticated, dedicated Steam
space to apply skills and more deeply explore real-world problem-solving,” says middle School head and assistant head of School for academic life renée c. Price.
of course, PDS middle School students have already been doing much of this work, but this facility offers them even more. “The possibilities are limitless because we have so much equipment and skill and support for the kids. They’re ready, they’re smart enough and they’re mature enough with guidance to solve big problems and to come up with creative solutions,” ms. Price explains. “it’s a curiosity-building space where they can dream things. They’re young people experiencing very grown-up work and design-thinking to solve thorny problems and questions. now they have a place where they can design, fabricate, imagine and create. it’s all there and it’s all their own,” she adds.
middle School technology and Steam coordinator Jamie atkeson is excited for the students and envisions many ways the facility will enhance the work the middle School students have been doing for a decade. “This dedicated space is about access. The middle School Steam center brings all the tools and resources into a single, intentionally designed facility the students can use for any project, whether it’s for school or something they’re doing at home. it’s a lovely space and large enough to accommodate any of our classes.” along the back of the Steam room is a “dirty room,” a sealed off area where students can work on projects and use tools without worrying that dust, metal particles or odor might damage the equipment next door. “it’s where modern digital fabrication meets the older industrial arts style,” says mr. atkeson. “Previously, middle Schoolers used the Upper School Steam center for its classes and many times during projects they had to run downstairs to the industrial arts shop to drill a hole or craft something in metal. With this space, we are bringing modern technology and industrial arts together and providing seamless creative and innovation experiences for students.”
STEAM Coordinator Matt Tramontana talking to MS students in the redesigned Middle School Library
Middle School Library Redesigned to Optimize Flexibility and Access
Sheila Goeke, who heads all three PDS libraries and serves as the middle School librarian, explains the value and features of the redesigned library space. “We’re so excited about the renovations because we can finally actualize the vision we have about learning. We thought it was really important to integrate Steam into the library program, combining handson experiences with information access,” she says. “because we wanted more flexible space for learning and collaboration, some of the shelves and furniture can be moved around. The new lighting has made a huge difference. We brought the fiction collection to the front of the room and lit up the back shelves so things are much easier to find and use. The architects did everything we asked and made it so beautiful and vibrant. The library seems more spacious, more open; it’s a perfect learning environment,” she explains.
— Sheila Goeke, Head of Libraries and Middle School Librarian
Kitchen Classroom Creates Recipe for Lifelong Learning
tucked away on the basement level of the lower School wing is an unexpected type of classroom that offers a truly innovative schoolwide curriculum. it looks like a regular kitchen with two sinks, two dishwashers, a double oven, microwave oven, double door refrigerator and several tables, but food preparation and teamwork are only two of the life skills being taught there.
“This has been a vision that (PDS Garden coordinator) Pam flory and i have been working on for at least five years,” says Sustainability coordinator and Upper School english teacher liz cutler. “We believe that food is a lens through which we can teach almost anything. This is not home economics—it’s a learning laboratory for all disciplines where you could, for example, teach chemistry. imagine learning about chemical emulsions by making hollandaise sauce or about microorganisms by making pickles.”
in 2015, ms. cutler and ms. flory partnered with faculty from all three divisions to write a curriculum for the kitchen. They were inspired by alice Waters’ edible Schoolyard and by several universities and schools that have had success with such programs. “What they do, and what we hope ultimately to be able to do, is to have replacement classes. So instead of teaching in your classroom, you’re going to teach the same material by cooking in the kitchen. let’s say you want to teach about the Silk road in social studies. it was all about taking resources from one part of the world to the next. can you teach that by having kids actually cooking things with the spices they had on the Silk road? and how much more will they remember about the Silk road once they’ve done that? imagine how that changes the way a student takes in information or learns to appreciate global cultures by making and tasting the many different kinds of food in the world,” cutler explains.
The kitchen will give the PDS Garden an indoor space to supplement its outdoor kitchen during cold weather and make it easier to prepare for special events. ms. cutler has taken on the role of Kitchen coordinator and hopes ultimately to bring in celebrity chefs. This fall, she is starting small with the after School Program, adding lower School classes and a middle School Da Vinci class as the year progresses. “Pam and i are designing protocols so it’s safe, efficient and effective because in a class of only 55 minutes you can’t have everyone charging around, the room’s not that big. it’s a challenge to cook and clean up in that time.”
mr. Stellato observes, “every year there are a quarter to a third of our seniors who started in the lower School, so we have an opportunity to build PreK-12 curricular programs that students can experience from start to finish. it’s the unique advantage that schools like ours have. This year’s PreK class will be the first to use designated Steam classrooms all the way through their PDS career so one can only imagine what they will be doing and talking about to future PDS students 20 years from now. one thing is certain, they will be well prepared for the world they encounter.”
The PreK-Grade 12 teaching kitchen (below) is a learning laboratory for all disciplines and an indoor alternative to the Garden’s outdoor kitchen during cold weather.
