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INVESTING IN OUR ENVIRONMENT
DESIGNING SPACES FOR LEARNING JULIA GABRIELE, DIRECTOR OF FINANCE & OPERATIONS
I remember going to a lecture twenty years ago given by the Chair of the History Department from a local University. It was a talk for educators about the changing landscape of education. I vividly remember him making the point that if you took a surgeon from the 1800s and dropped him into a modern surgical ward, he’d be utterly lost and unable to perform. The tools he was used to had been completely replaced with computers, lasers and other technology—all complete mysteries to him. But a teacher? Well, an 1800’s teacher would have little problem recognizing a modern-day classroom. With traditional desks in rows and blackboards up front—things really hadn’t changed all that much. I was stunned thinking about it and it stayed with me as we began to think about the future of St. Luke’s and our learning spaces.
Education. We brought back from that conference a list of questions that helped shape conversations around a renewed Master Plan which included new science facilities and our most recently completed Arts & Humanities Wings.
The seed I brought back from that experience was nurtured and grew as our community engaged in conversations about the future of learning and the impact of space and design. Pedagogy around student-centered learning experiences continued to evolve and while the teachers were tackling lesson design, they also began to explore ways in which their classrooms could foster more authentic connection and learning.
St. Luke’s broke ground in 2013 on the new Science Wing. The opportunity to dig down one entire level was swiftly identified and in that space, a new Black Box Theater was created. Construction took 15 months and included heavy up-front design of systems including heating and cooling that could handle our future planned Humanities Wing.
In the spring of 2012, I, along with Head of School, Mark Davis, Librarian Elizabeth Nelson, Board member Amanda Martocchio, and the School’s architect, Jim Rogers (Rogers-McCagg Architecture) attended a conference entitled Learning Environments for Tomorrow through the Harvard Graduate Schools of Design and
A Building Committee was formed that included all interests in the school. In concert with this committee, faculty and students engaged in design thinking, developing plans that would allow for individual inquiry, project-based learning and collaboration. The desire for natural light and the use of warm elements both in wood and finishes were prioritized. In addition, a wide variety of furniture, colors, and fabrics were evaluated. The goal was to design a space that would not only serve the current needs of St. Luke’s School, but would facilitate and inspire faculty and students to do their very best work.
The Science Wing opened in September of 2014, and the next and final building phase began in earnest. Ten humanities classrooms were planned with state of the art technology along with custom made Harkness tables that encourage whole group discussion emphasizing the Socratic
technique. This approach requires broad interaction throughout the class instead of the traditional “sage on the stage” method of delivery. Custom design and fabrication takes this traditional table design one step further, allowing it to be easily separated and mobile for individual and group work. Along with those stunning new classrooms, break out collaborative workspaces were designed along with a new and modern library. Group work areas, along with quiet study rooms and individual reading carrels complement increased stack space and access to technology. A new Educational Support Services area invites students to drop in for help with study skills, organizational help and writing assistance. In addition, expansive new art space flooded with natural light, and a new darkroom offering both traditional and digital photography, has finally been incorporated into the new building. Students no longer have to make the trek down to the old art house and the Fine Arts curriculum is fully integrated into the day-to-day. Beautiful dedicated art display space invites students and faculty to pause, and admire the work of their peers, as they travel along the main hallway. Likewise, the spectacular Class of 2016 Library Café, with a front row seat to nature, has become a gathering space for socializing, sharing a cup of coffee or a snack, and a place to simply unwind
with friends. The Class of 2017 Library Reading Room has become a favorite gathering space for students and faculty and most recently was the site of our first Upper School poetry reading— so popular, it was standing room only! And finally, a new 3,500 square foot space has become the new home of our designLab program. Here, problems become projects and challenges are transformed into solutions. Thinkers become makers and along the way, ideas take shape, empowering students to go beyond screens and into real world applications. This incredible designLab space features nine 3D printers, a CO2 laser cutter, small and large CNC routers, and a brand new, fully stocked woodshop. On any given day, designLab is full of students working on projects ranging from intricate, complex robots to large wooden elements for the set of an upcoming musical. I wish I could go back to that lecture twenty years ago and tell the professor his words helped inspire important changes at St. Luke’s School. Today, alumni visit and — like that 1800’s surgeon walking into the modern operating room — they are stunned by their School’s transformation. I’ve seen them experience a bit of disbelief and then relief as they realize it’s still St. Luke’s. The spaces are new and improved but remain filled with eager students, skilled and caring teachers, and the promise of an exceptional education.