Surrey Site Visits

On October 19th a group of Building Committee members visited three newer schools in the Surrey school district. The three schools – Fraser Heights, Panorama Ridge, and Sullivan Heights, were all built from the same plan with minor modifications made with each subsequent build.

The first school we visited was Fraser Heights. The school had a clear entrance, with visitors entering to a clearly defined office on the right, the library and career centre on the left, and a wide , large cafeteria meeting space straight ahead. The hallway’s were wide and brightly lit with natural lighting. Half lockers lined the halls, with single height locker islands providing a secondary eating and meeting area for students. The combination of cement block and maple wall coverings gave a hard wearing interior space that still looked very new. The classrooms and computer labs were of amply size as were the student washrooms. There were two gymnasium spaces. The larger space was smaller than the current CSS gym. The smaller gym had a medium sized weight room overlooking it.
Unique to this school plan was the science “super lab”. This was an over sized four class lab space with smaller classroom space attached. The thinking behind this design is that students use the classroom space for a majority of classroom learning, moving into the lab space just for that aspect of the lesson. This large shared space allowed for labs to be set up and waiting for students. The large size of the super lab would allow up to four classes to be using the space at once. In practice, it appeared that two classes using the space at once was more typical. The school drama space was a modified lecture theatre space. This 200 seat space had ample stage space but minimal wing space and set/prop storage. The high lighting grid had to be accessed with an over sized ladder. The metalwork and woodwork classes were smaller than the current CSS classrooms but clearly popular course choices. The school had two large art rooms but only one was in use. The darkroom had been dismantled. Ceramics were located in an outdoor area off of the art room. Storage at the school appeared to be a challenge, with records and seasonal supplies having to be stored in non-designated areas.

The second school visited that day was Panorama Ridge. This impromptu visit allowed us to see modifications to the Fraser Heights plan. Examples of this were minor changes to the seating in the drama room, the staff room being moved from the end of one of the hallways to a space overlooking the student cafeteria, and plumbing lab located in a shop space.

The final school visit of the day was Sullivan Heights. Again minor modifications were made to the original Fraser Heights plan. Most unique to the space was the addition of the Bell Centre for the Performing Arts. This 1100 seat theatre is located in the centre of the school. A box office was located at the front of the school in location of the career centre and the central cafeteria area had small modifications to accommodate theatre patrons. The Bell Centre was not used as a day to day classroom space. The drama classes were located in a choir room converted to a black box theatre space. Also unique to this school was a basement art level. In the basement area were two art rooms and a dance studio. Kilns were located outside in a secured area.

The shared design of the schools was interesting and allowed for improvements on each new construction.
The angled walls that ran as a theme through all the schools while architecturally interesting made for challenges with things like book shelves and cabinets.

To see more photos of Fraser Heights, click here.

To see more photos of Panorama Ridge, click here.

To see more photos of Sullivan Heights, click here.

Lillian Osborne (Edmonton) Site Visit

On October 27th, the Steering Committee sent a team to visit Lillian Osborne Secondary School in Edmonton. The school opened in September of this year and features only grade 10's this year and will be adding grade 11's next then grade 12's the year after. For this reason, there is only 330 students in the school this year which is built for around a 1000 students at a cost of $26 million with 25 rooms and 4 miscellaneous rooms.

The main entrance features a very large library and informal area that not only contains what you would find in a library, but couches, chess boards, etc. A lot of the students say that this is one of the best features of the school and the library has glass floor to ceiling for sound proofing. The library has 30 foot ceilings with an open design and 120 laptops for students to be able to sign out.

Every classroom has an FM wireless system and a Smart board and WiFi throughout the school. The hallways are designed in a wedge shape. They are wider in the middle and then tapered at the end so the wider portion served to store the lockers on either side of the hallway. They also had a bank of lockers running down the middle of the wider area but these lockers only went up to waist level and there was a bench-type structure on the top of these. This bench served as an area for students to do school work as was a very creative design. The hallways also had very high ceilings with lots of natural light giving a very warm atmosphere while having limited noise problems.

All the classrooms had a full length window for natural light and each one of these windows had pull down blinds which was very aesthetically pleasing and very good for security. The classroom entrance doors were also impressive because the woodwork above the door was the same material as the door itself giving a very smooth design. All classroom lights went off automatically when the doors are shut and there is a green house attached to the science lab. The school features one video conferencing suite and there was one gym. The school uses a key fob to electronically open the doors and there exists a student union room for the leadership students. The staffroom had flexible furniture and the staff washrooms were right inside the staffroom as opposed the a small hallway leading to the these areas.

The school contained the technology, art, and construction all in one area and did not appear to be well coordinated. All the floors were grey concrete which made cleaning difficult according to the custodian. The main office was quite small and there was very little room for the secretaries while having counters that were way too high. The main conference room that branched off the office area had a glass wall into the main student gathering area. The school had no Multi-purpose room, no cafeteria, and the science labs were small.

To see more photos of Lillian Osborne Secondary, click here.

Hunting Hills (Red Deer) Site Visit

On October 26th, the Steering Committee sent a team to visit Hunting Hills Secondary School in Red Deer Alberta. This school has 1400 students from grades 9 to 12 and is 16 years old. The Principal is Dave MacLean and he was present as a Vice-Principal when the school first opened with a PLC (Professional Learning Community) focus. The school was designed into Instructional Zones with each zone designed to contain teacher prep areas which were given at the cost of two classrooms. The zone serves as a buffer from the hallway traffic and all students go through the main entrance into the zone and then go to their classroom. This has allowed teacher teams to strongly develop. All grade 9 teachers receive a common prep time for collaboration.

One of the main programs in the school is a Sports Excellence Program which contains such things as a Hockey Academy with the focus on Skill Development. The school runs a full AP Course schedule including English, World History, Chinese, Art, and all Sciences and Math. The science department uses a Super Lab model with multiple pitched ceilings for sound proofing and they have hired a Lab Technician to do all the lab preparation (An effective model). The school has no bells and time is displayed on classroom monitors so the teacher dismiss the students when they are ready. There are surveillance cameras throughout the building in places such as computer labs, entrance areas, and hallways. Theft and vandalism is becoming a growing concern and this was instilled to combat the growing problem. Most classes have high ceilings and/or pitched ceilings for sound proofing. One big recommendation is to make sure we hire an excellent sound engineer for the Band Room, Gym, and Theatre (if applicable), Science Super Lab (if applicable) and the Shop Areas. The school also runs a Cosmetology Program and it is one of the most popular programs in the school. Key to the success of this is like any program, the right person must be hired to run it. The Multipurpose room looks like what you would find in a mall with Artificial trees, trellises, etc, and it is sunken in the center for presentations and parent meetings. All the walls are made of cinder block.

The Shop courses is focused on Hands on Learning opportunity and computer technology such as Photo Shop etc. The school does have some general construction and metal work classes. The school features carpet throughout which is good for sound proofing but impossible to clean. There are movable walls throughout the school with the intention to have these walls so that classrooms could open up but it never materialized and the recommendation was to stay away from movable walls. These walls get damaged easily and they difficult and expensive to repair. The multi-purpose room is used for drama presentations and the Drama Room is immediately off of this space. The drama room does not appear to be very useful. The change rooms need locking doors and showers. There is no teaching kitchen but they do have a small servery area with some food preparation but it appears too small for the size of the school.

To see more photos of Hunting Hills Secondary, click here.

Olds Site Visit (Olds, Alberta)

On October 26th, the Steering Committee visited Olds Secondary School, in Olds Alberta. This High School is being built in conjunction with Olds College and they hope to have it completed by January 2010. The total cost for the project is 70 million dollars including the college portion. The high school features grades 9 to 12 with a total of 600 students and the principal is Tom Christianson.

The school features tables, chairs, and desks that were all on coasters making for easy movement, with student desks wider than most. All the classrooms had WiFi throughout and all featured a Smart Board, FM with 4 speaker sound, blue ray disc player and a podium on wheels. The school has developed a partnership with SMART to help with the introduction of technology in the classrooms. The campus is shared the college so the design of the high school is much like a University Campuswith three buildings for the high school. The Fine Arts/Media Center is the first building we saw and it is extremely impressive. It contains a Theatre with a capacity for 390 and has room for additional chairs. The school did fundraising for this theatre by selling plaques on the arms of the chairs and managed to raise $180, 000. The art room has large wide doors for moving things in and out, and the art teacher teaches the cosmetology class which was a part of the theatre. One day a week, they open the cosmetology room to the public.

In the main building, there is a social services wing. Community services came in with funds to incorporate space within the building (7 million), and this provides one stop services. Alberta Health Services are also located in this building. The counselling area is impressive because it contains the high school counselors, college counselors, Alberta Employment Counsellors, and a Career Library. The gym is a triple gym with dividers to make 3 smaller ones. There is also a weight room complex upstairs overlooking the gym complex and an indoor running track that goes around the upper part of the gym and it is 340 meters in diameter. The gym has a large room with a washer/dryer and storage for uniforms as well as a Referees room. There are 2 Green roofs in the main building where plants are grown. The science room had only gas at the fume hoods and the room was designed in a Super Lab format. The main office had a large conference room with a Staff room that adjoins.

The last building was the ELearning Facility which contains video conferencing that is State of the Art. Each E Learning Area has a Crestron control panel and an Extron Control Panel with one room being entirely white board. This facility also contains a Broadcast Media/Film Room.

The school is built around 3 pillars - Health and Wellness, Fine Arts, and Technology. Some of the features that we had questions about included quad areas that featured sink, fridge, TV, microwave all for students. There was a teacher prep area in the hub of the quads and this whole space was created in lieu of lockers. The lockers were in coves and there were 4 of these throughout the school. Despite being beside the largest Agriculture College in the Country, there were no formal Agrictulture courses being taught in the school.

To see more photos of Olds High School, click here.

Centennial Site Visit, Calgary Alberta

On October 26th, the members of the Steering Committee visited Centennial High School in Calgary Alberta. Members present were Pam Jones, Rick Jones, Brent Moore, and Steve Anderson. The school had polished concrete floors throughout which looked amazing, however, they are not easier to maintain than other types of flooring as upkeep is about the same. Administration offices were big, bright, and quite visible from the office area. The school's mandate is that the work done in this school is public and open to all which fits with the design of the office. Initially, the school was willed into being by the community, which has a big feeling of ownership for the building and programs in it. The community vision said that the building should be a high school during the day and a post secondary space during the evening. The design of the building reflects this dual purpose.

There is excellent storage in the gym area and the school has an integrated lock down security system in place. A push of a button in the office, an announcement goes out that the school is in lock down and the interior and exterior locks are engaged. There are no lockers in main mall of the school. The space looks more like a post secondary institution rather than like a high school which makes the community more viable as the building doesn't have the look of a high school.

The school created a "Wellness Room" complete with comfy chairs and sofas. This room is intended for more informal meetings and external counseling professionals. There are outside spaces called "Learning Gardens" that are small courtyards which can be closed off and locked. They are bookable outside areas intended to be another teachable area. Might not work at CSS.

There is a commercial kitchen attached to the school's cafeteria that is spacious and roomy. There are small lockers in the kitchen allowing students to store their uniforms. The cafeteria is 2 tiered and created a versatile space for presentation on the upper level to the lower level. The cafeteria sat directly under the library, creating a focal social point and an academic point of the school. This is definitely the heart of the school. The library was the most impressive one seen by the Steering Committee. It can accommodate up to 5 classrooms with L.A. right off and connected to the it. There are offices for the Career Advisor immediately off the library as well. The library has central banks of computers and group study spaces which make it possible for many students to be in the library at once, supervised by their teachers with many sight lines as all shelving is low. The reference area is close to the entrance of the library and on-line learning area is incorporated into the library as well so students who take Distance Education have a place to work and are supervised by the librarian. The school also contains a super lab for science which makes efficient use of space and keeps the lab and classrooms separate. The super lab has a lab technician to support the space.

Despite the originally design of the school as a dual post-secondary/secondary school, there is no current partnership. In the evening, there are spaces available for rent. The entrance to the school was narrow and had no visible foyer. The open design led to a lot of noise and there was only one gym in a school of 1600 students. This leaves only one teaching space in the gym with the weight room downstairs. The open design of the school makes it one of the highest consumers of energy in the district despite it being one of the newest schools. The school is currently switching from a pod model which seemed to foster segregation rather than collaboration. The staff rooms were small and uncomfortable. The upper hallway in the main mall area was not wide enough given the sheer amount of traffic using it. It's openness to the floor makes it a danger and hazard to space-crunched students traveling it. The multipurpose room had movable walls which added to the noise problem in the school and the movable walls were unused. The retractable seats in the Theatre did not work properly if the flooring was not prepared well and cement flooring was better in this area than wood as there would be no warping. There were learning vestibules scattered around the school providing quiet working areas for students both during and after classes. However, spaces are not powered and ported and need to be as many students have laptops.

The school's Administration team made some recommendation for us in building the new school:

• Build with community use in mind.
• Take nothing for granted. Check and re-check plans to be sure the details are right.
• Choose technology carefully.
• Consider a card system for security. Staff and students wear cards and wipe when entering and leaving the building.
• Honour traditions and rituals and build with them in mind.
• Build facilities that support your staff. If the staff is happy, they will be happy in their work.
• Have abundant and easily accessible washrooms for staff.
• Have a storage specialist as part of the design team.
• Have a security specialist as part of the design team.
• If you are going with building multi-function spaces, be sure not to build with any specific subject area or use in mind.
• Create staff work space close to the staff room.
• Smaller meeting spaces are helpful and can be turned into exam writing areas or small group work areas.
• Consider small book storage areas 8-10 feet wide between classrooms. That way books are easily accessible and the space provides a sound barrier between rooms.

To see more photos of the Centennial Site visit, click here

Holy Trinity Site Visit

On October 26, the Steering Committee sent a team consisting of Pam Jones, Rick Jones, Brent Moore and Steve Anderson to Okotoks Alberta to visit Holy Trinity Academy. The school was designed in a triangular configuration which supported the schools religious beliefs and values. The school has LEEDS status which makes the school more energy efficient and green, although the guide really didn't speak of the elements which contributed to the LEEDS designation. One thing the LEEDS designation did provide was very loud flushing toilets.

The gym uses a lot of natural lighting and has seating for 700 using rolled out bleachers, which when pushed back there was very little profile to the benches. The school contained a bookable science lab for up to two classrooms using hexagonal stations which made for an efficient use of space.

Upon entry to the school, there was a beautiful feature wall with fountain which was paid for with sponsorship dollars. The cafeteria doubled as a theatre with rolling seating for 400 and the drama room was on the other side of the retractable wall. The classroom then doubled as a stage. Much of the budget was spent on building the central portion of the school and portables were attached to the end of each wing and the join was nearly seamless. The conference room in the office area was set up with a projector, video cameras, and a smart board which were all used for video conferencing.

All of the students in this school can elect to take Learning Strategies, which is a 1.5 credit course which allows students to reinforce their learning with small group tutoring done by 4 academic E.A.'s and overseen by an LA teacher. So academic students can improve their learning and understanding in courses like Chemistry and Physics while academically at-risk students can reinforce their learning in subjects like Applied Math. This practice has led to significantly higher provincial exam marks and significantly improved completion/transition rates. Demand for this is greater than supply and it would be interesting to see how they prioritize service.

For more pictures of Holy Trinity Academy, click here