This team-oriented middle school uses an efficient
plan to organize each grade into teams that share four classrooms
and a central science room. There are two teams per floor and each
floor houses one grade. Across the hall from each cluster are team
and resource rooms, and specialized teaching spaces such as computer
and language labs. The clusters are arranged to give students a
home base that can be reached without "trespassing" through
another cluster
Art, music, library, and technology areas are
at the heart of the school. The gym and cafetorium occupy the front
of the school and are designed to be used after hours when the rest
of the building is closed. The delightful surprise of transparency
is used throughout the school to connect the shared spaces. From
the third floor corridor, for example, students can look down into
the band room, and through that, down into the gym on the ground
floor.
Extensive ball fields and green space (shared
with a K-8 complex designed by HMFH as well) complete the 43-acre,
riverfront site and serve the community when school is not in session.