ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DISCOVERY REPORT DOUGLASS · Douglass’s Cornerstones Brainstorm Summary 24...

September 10-11, 2015

DOUGLASS ELEMENTARY SCHOOLDISCOVERY REPORT

TABLE OFCONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 5

INTRODUCTION 7

DISCOVERY VISIT AGENDA 8

THE DISCOVERY TEAM 9

DESIGN DRIVERS 10

HOW MIGHT WE? 18

WORKSHOP DISCOVERIES 19

VISIONING WORKSHOP 20

WALKING TOUR 26

TEACHER FOCUS GROUP 30

COMMUNITY VISIONING 33

COMMUNITY SITE & ETHOS 38

DESIGN PATTERNS 43

FIELDING NAIR INTERNATIONAL DOUGLASS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DISCOVERY REPORT

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSFielding Nair International (FNI) would like to thank and acknowledge all of those who made the Discovery Visit possible, including the Douglass Elementary School community, parents, teachers, staff, and students who participated in workshops and discussions. FNI appreciates your time and your insights. FNI would like to specifically acknowledge the following groups for leading this effort:

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DOUGLASS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Jon Wolfer

Paula Miller

Rick Berry

Nicky Kroge

Linda Taht

Kate Klotz

Alisha Cohen

Sarah Bennett

Nancy Chiu

Kelli Chynoweth

Lisa Cooper

Jen Sterling

Rachel Paradis

Steve Belin

Anne Gibson

Kristina Menzies

Pam Sousa

Stephanie Faren

Jeremy DeBacker

Douglass Design Advisory Team

Douglass Student Representatives

Douglass Parent Representatives

Allison Trautwein

Jen Urbonas

Brady Von Matre

Rachel Paradis

Chris Limpus

Katherine Hunter

Johnna Wynn

Cindy Metz

Mary Jo Barbeau

Michelle Cassells

Mary Ann Davis

Katie Mangin


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSFielding Nair International (FNI) would like to thank and acknowledge all of those who made the discovery visit possible, including the Douglass Elementary School community, parents, teachers, staff, and students who participated in workshops and discussions. FNI appreciates your time and your insights. FNI would like to specifically acknowledge the following groups for leading this effort:

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RTA ARCHITECTS

Doug Abernethy

ADOLFSON & PETERSON CONSTRUCTION

Jade Mercer

FIELDING NAIR INTERNATIONAL

James Seaman

Mike Yager

Justen Dippel

Chris Hazelton

Tracee Worley

BOULDER VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT

Sandy Ripplinger

Kiffany Lychock

David Eggen

Susan Cousins

Steve Schumacher

Ghita Carroll


INTRODUCTION

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Thanks to the generosity of BVSD voters who supported the $576.5M bond

issue, Douglass’s well-worn building will be replaced with a new, innovative

building that supports teaching and learning to foster student success in the

21st Century.

BVSD is working with Fielding Nair International (FNI), known around the

world for creating innovative learning environments, to define how to create

the best learning environment for students. The outcomes of this process

will infuse educational innovation into every bond project and create

learning spaces that support success for all students.

At FNI, we begin the school design process by discovering all we can about

your school community. Discovery is a process designed to gather input

from multiple stakeholders (school leadership, teachers, students, and

parents) in order to build a common vision. The FNI Discovery Process is a

highly collaborative, rigorous and data-driven system that results in a clear

blueprint to move forward into design.

During the 2-day discovery visit, FNI architects and educators conducted

workshops, presented case studies and facilitated countless conversations

with teachers, staff, parents, and students about their hopes and dreams for

Douglass’s future. This report highlights the key discoveries from those

conversations.


DISCOVERY VISIT AGENDA

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8:30-10:30 a.m.: Visioning Workshop with Leadership: From District Guiding Principles to School Cornerstones

10:30-11:30 a.m.: Walking Tour

1-2:30 p.m.: Teacher Focus Group: Intentional Learning Communities: From My to Ours; from Me to We

3-5 p.m.: Design Advisory Team (DAT) Meeting

6:30-8 p.m.: Community Visioning

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10TH

8:30-10:30 a.m.: Community and Site Ethos Workshop

10:30-11:30 p.m.: Design Patterns for Innovation in Learning, Session 1

12:30-2 p.m.: Design Patterns for Innovation in Learning, Session 2

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11TH


THE DISCOVERY TEAM

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Principal, Michigan Studio

JAMES SEAMAN

Project Manager

MIKE YAGER

Senior Designer

JUSTEN DIPPEL

Senior Education Planner

CHRIS HAZELTON

Picture Place Holder(Just Drag & Drop)

Education Consultant

TRACEE WORLEY


DESIGN DRIVERSReflecting on the many conversations and all of the data collected, several overarching themes have emerged. The following discoveries represent the core design drivers that will influence the design of the new campus:

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01

We heard anecdotes and observed how Douglass’s traditional

classroom model has isolated teachers from one another. A

range of Learning Community models can open up the

possibility for interdisciplinary projects, multi-age groupings,

and a variety of learning modalities.

LEARNING IN COMMUNITY

FIELDING NAIR INTERNATIONAL DOUGLASS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DISCOVERY REPORT 11

02FLEXIBLE AND MULTI-USE

SPACESMulti-use spaces—labs, studios, commons, and maker-spaces—

can be configured for maximum flexibility and student-centered

learning.


03

The lack of gathering space other than the gym is a source of

frustration for many at Douglass. A multitude of voices

expressed the need for a large space that can be flexibly used

for exhibits, performances, and community gatherings.

A PLACE TO GATHER


04INDOOR & OUTDOOR

CONNECTIONSStronger connections between indoor and outdoor areas,

facilitated by gardens, shaded reading areas, water features,

nature trails, and play fields can maximize Douglass’s great

outdoor space.


05

The location and scale of the new building should be sensitive to

the houses on the adjacent streets; minimizing obstruction of

views and negative traffic impacts.

A GOOD NEIGHBOR


06

The school community voiced a strong desire to problem-solve

safer pathways to the school, including vehicle pick-up and

drop- off, biking, and walking.

SAFE PASSAGE


07

Sports and fitness are an important part of the Douglass ethos.

We’ll consider how to incorporate design elements that

encourage life-long healthy habits and physical fitness for

Douglass students and the surrounding community.

STAYING FIT


08

Douglass has committed to implementing The Leader in Me,

which teaches students The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

and how to use those insights to foster student leadership,

responsibility, and accountability.

Patterns such as Learning Communities and Flexible Space will

encourage students to become more self-directed while

building a foundation for acquiring the leadership skills needed

in the 21st century.

THE LEADER IN ME


HOW MIGHT WE?: TURNING INSIGHTS INTO OPPORTUNITIESEvery pain point is an opportunity for design. Throughout this report, we have framed Douglass's challenges as “How Might We” questions to put you on the path to innovative thinking. We hope that as a community, you will want to answer these questions, talk about them, and ultimately, solve them.

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assumes that solutions exist

and provides the creative

confidence needed to identify

and solve for unmet needs.

HOW

signals that you are going to

collaborate and build on

each other’s ideas to find

creative solutions together.

WE?

suggests that you can put

ideas out there that might

work or might not—either

way, you’ll learn something

useful.

MIGHT

The following summarizes our findings from the workshops conducted over

the 2-day Discovery Visit.

WORKSHOPDISCOVERIES


VISIONING WORKSHOP WITH LEADERSHIPThis workshop with school leadership explored opportunities for the future both architecturally and educationally. We discussed and brainstormed ideas that will become the cornerstones for educational change at Douglass.

Objective: Emerging Cornerstones

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DISCOVERIES

• Physical and emotional artifacts (ex: dolphin wall - character education) that should be preserved

• Interest in connecting with other FNI designed schools• Hard to have an all-school meeting without interrupting other

activities• Strong sense of community• We must be sensitive to the needs of community members.• The school is grade level based. Para educators rotate among

multiple grades.• Looping - teachers loop up with students• There are a fair amount of new teachers.• There are also 10+ year veterans.


VISIONING WORKSHOP WITH LEADERSHIP

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We do have a very sense strong of

community, both within our school and

within our greater community. We

have lots of events where a lot of

people come into our school. One of

our hopes and fears is being able to

continue to hold large events and all-

school meetings.

- Katie Klotz

DISCOVERIES, CONTINUED

• Must balance this initiative with other district initiatives (ie: Ideal School Day)

• Technology a big part of the school, charging stations needed

• Deek Squad: parents that volunteer to provide technology support

.

“My dream would be a true inclusionary model where all resources kids need would be included in the classroom.”

- Samara Williams, Principal


VISIONING WORKSHOP WITH LEADERSHIP

During the Visioning workshop, we asked participants to begin developing cornerstones, driven by Boulder Valley School District’s Innovation Guiding Principles.

Cornerstones are the values individuals, teams of leaders, teachers, and learners will use to guide decisions in learning, professional growth, resource allocation, systems design, learning environments, etc. They become the “rudder” that steers the ship (school) and the individuals within it each and every day.

On the following page, we have captured the major themes that emerged from the brainstorm.

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DEVELOPING CORNERSTONES

FIELDING NAIR INTERNATIONAL EMERALD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DISCOVERY REPORT

VISIONING WORKSHOP WITH LEADERSHIPDouglass’s Cornerstones Brainstorm Summary

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“Learning happens everywhere”

EVERY SPACE IS A LEARNING SPACE

“Teachers share kids, observations, and

insights”

SHARED RESPONSIBILITY

“Variety of Educational Tools”

TECHNOLOGY

“Everyone feels a part of a community”

A COMMUNITY OF LEARNERS

“Kids are leading learning”

LEADER IN ME

“Everyone loves to be here!”

A HAPPY SCHOOL01

03

05

02

04

06


HOW MIGHT WE?The following questions reframe insights and challenges into opportunities:

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How might we incorporate

elements of the “old”

Douglass into the new

campus?

HISTORY

How might we connect

with other schools

designed by FNI to learn

more about learning in

community?

NETWORKING

How might we design our

new building to deepen our

sense of community?

COMMUNITY

How might we design

professional development

that will prepare us for the

new campus?

PD


WALKING TOUR

School leadership and FNI walked the school together to observe and discuss how teaching and learning is fostered or constrained by the existing facility.

Objective: Shared understanding about the school facility in action: what works and what does not.

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DISCOVERIES

• Art program connected to classroom activities • Computer lab: windowless• Chromebooks underused because of wifi connectivity• Challenges with drop-off and pick-up • Preschool: would like shady and grassy areas• Gym is loud; used for performances, all school gatherings.• Cafeteria is small; can only accommodate one grade at a time.

Faculty is to supervise lunch.• Amphitheater is used. • Would be nice to have walk & talk trails, buddy benches



WALKING TOUR

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• Centralized locations for copiers• 85% of students take the bus• Administrative suite: no sight lines to the rest

of the school• Main conference room is too small.• Kiln is in the basement.• Need a more centralized location for

recycling bins• Preserve archway by parking lot• Old oil pit under the building• Short supply of performance areas• The school is spread out, which makes it

difficult to maintain a strong sense of community.

• Classroom sense of identity - there is segmentation

• Room sizes are small for number of students.

• 7 Habits are the cornerstone of academic culture.

• A few breakout spaces exist in the hallways.• Segmented special subjects - how might we

place these adjacencies in better places?• How might we increase effectiveness of

student/computer ratio?• Schedule - other opportunities would open up

with larger cafeteria• Need succinct zones for pick-up, drop-off• Exterior pathways on the east side



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How might we design a

technology infrastructure

that allows for anytime,

anywhere connectivity?

TECHNOLOGY

How might we design

collaborative learning

spaces that are also

acoustically comfortable?

NOISE

How might we design

dining spaces that are

more multifunctional ?

EATING AREAS

How might we redesign

the admin suite to allow for

indoor and outdoor sight

lines ?

ADMIN SUITE


TEACHER FOCUS GROUPThis workshop engaged teachers in a thoughtful discussion about collaboration and working together. It included an overview of the emerging cornerstones and working in Learning Communities. The group explored several case studies as well as FNI's Learning Spectrums. Teachers imagined new ways to work together in the context of new spaces that foster collaboration.

Objective: Shared understanding about the school facility in action: what works and what does not.

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CASE STUDY: NORMA ROSE POINT

To spark inspiration, we shared a case study from Norma Rose Point School, one of three new elementary schools designed by FNI to meet the needs of Creative Age learners. Central to the design is a transition from a classroom-based organization to a learning community model, where teachers and specialists work in teams of 3-5 with student groupings of 90-125. Each Learning Community has at its heart a common area with natural light and views, a kitchenette, and ample space for gathering, presentations, independent, collaborative, and technology-enhanced learning.

After viewing a short video (left), we asked teachers to tell us how teaching and learning is enhanced and/or constrained by the current campus.

https://youtu.be/yBFc_3apnZ4

https://youtu.be/yBFc_3apnZ4


TEACHER FOCUS GROUP

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DISCOVERIES

• The building is getting in the way of student-centered learning modalities.

• Classroom comes with a certain sense of ownership.

• Need for more break out spaces• Visibility allows for teachers to be in more

than one place.• Challenge: learning about the opportunities

that you didn’t know you were missing• It is helpful to have a cohesive teaming

practice.• Right now the architecture drives the student

to teacher ratio - what if it was driven by learning?

.

The students had a leadership role, just

like the adults. It's a collaborative process

that flows back and forth.

It's just amazing how happy the kids and

adults are. I'm philosophically trying to

wrap my head around being so traditional

and the process of going completely the

other way - which is a great thing - but I'm

wondering, does that naturally occur

through this process or do you have to be

deprogrammed?

TEACHER VOICES

If we were able to share resources and

expand space, how many other incredible

opportunities does that present to us?



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How might Learning

Communities allow us to

adjust student-teacher

ratios?

STUDENT TEACHER RATIO

How might we gain buy-in

from teachers, students,

parents, and community

members?

BUY-IN

How might we create

flexible spaces that meet

the many needs our

students have throughout

the day?

FLEXIBILITY

How might we deepen our

culture of collaboration

before the new campus

opens?

COLLABORATION


COMMUNITY VISIONING

During this large-scale workshop for all school stakeholders, FNI presented leading practices in the design of 21st century learning spaces. We reviewed the emerging cornerstones and presented site opportunities and challenges.

Objective: Orientation to the process for the community; expand vocabulary of what is possible; understanding of likes, wishes, and concerns from broader community.

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“I LIKE, I WISH, I WONDER”

While the school community asked questions, shared stories, debated, and expressed their concerns, we listened. We synthesized your feedback into three categories: what you like about the spaces presented, what you wish for the new Douglass campus, and what you are wondering about.

The school community’s feedback is captured on the following pages.

I LIKE…

The space where kids can be together. At the same time I like the space where kids can “cave” away

Openness, invitation to learn, light, support of curiosity

The space which allows gardening, harvesting, preparing food in community

Incorporating the outdoors into the learning space

The large, bright, airy spacesThe small spaces, the variety and flow

The collaborative emphasis. Moving furniture. Desks with wheels

The space with relaxing activities. Too much noise is distracting and exhausting

The community spaces balanced with the private space concept

Douglass is our community park!

I WISH…

Parent support to help outside classrooms since we were schooled in “old school” spaces and teaching environments

Mentorship program where older kids can help teach younger students and mentor them as they discover learning and growing

I would like to see sound be well thought out - collaboration need vs. quiet places for individual contemplation

I want my kids who live in the neighborhood to be able to come to the new school from the east side

Shaded outdoor spaces would be really nice

Big awesome playgrounds

I want my kids who will attend to be able to stay at this location during construction

Indoor playgrounds for play and learning to occur even in inclement weather

To see rooms that have many “fronts” - the ability to change the direction of learning very easily

Need to consider acoustics in your very open space buildings. Teacher’s nightmare is no class attention

I WONDER…

Have you thought about 25 years from now…how will this new school be renovated? It will be great if that could happen gracefully (not portables).

How to teach the basic, classical, fundamental knowledge of science, math, language, art, history, etc. The basics of civilization.

If the larger spaces may be carved up into smaller spaces also?

One of the biggest problems with current 21st century children includes the inability to concentrate and continual distractions. Open spaces will make this worse. Will there be technology free

zones?How will we build a secure school?

How will kids transition from Douglass to middle and high school?

What would a school look like that combined the learning styles of Reggio, Montessori, and experiential learning?

Geographically, Douglass has large catchment area.

Big gym serves as only large meeting area between Louisville and City of Boulder.



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How might we minimize

the negative impact of

construction on our

students and neighbors?

CONSTRUCTION

How might we design

amenities that become

shared community

resources?

SHARED SPACE

How might we ensure that

the new building is able to

respond to changes over

the next 50 years?

ADAPTABILITY

How might we create a

safe campus without

sacrificing the designs that

promote positive

behavior?

SAFETY


COMMUNITY & SITE ETHOS WORKSHOP How might the design of the new campus support, represent, enhance the ethos of the community? The site? During this workshop, we ask participants to tell us how the ethos of the Douglass school community might be incorporated into the design of the new campus.

Objective: Emerging understanding of the ethos of the site and community. Identify additional site opportunities and challenges.

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DISCOVERIES

• Ethos of Boulder• Financial resources• CU/Scientific community: how might we get them involved• Active lifestyle, health conscious• Personal growth• Engaged community• Environment: Flatirons, open space, views, peaceful• Community, arts festivals• People: educated, diverse

• Douglass Community/Neighborhood• Vibe: “it feels like home”• Students


COMMUNITY & SITE ETHOS WORKSHOP

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• Parents• Teachers• Community

• School Culture/Ethos• Shared spaces• Library, amphitheater, green house (hard

to plant in summer), gym, cafeteria, compost, tech lab, arts programs/music, playground

• Unique Events• Rodeo, garden, all-school sing, jog-athon,

health fairs, outdoor education, pony express, Water Day, instrumental music, spirit days

• Resource• Garden, theater performances, soccer

field, tech companies/CU, farms, parenting classes

.



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How might we engage

families as an integrated

part of their students’

learning experience?

FAMILIES

How might we connect

more with our wider

school/neighborhood

community?

CONNECTED


campus that encourages

physical activity?

ACTIVE


campus meets

SUSTAINABLE

http://bvsd.org/green/Documents/GreenBuildingGuidingPrinciplesBond2014.pdf






DESIGN PATTERNS WORKSHOP Based on the emerging cornerstones, what should or what will learning look like at Douglass? Participants explored ideas and concepts using design patterns as a common language for all stakeholders to understand. The ideas generated began the process for establishing a shared vision for the new spaces.

Objective: Design Patterns or key ideas that might inform the design approach.

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DISCOVERIES

We presented a list of common design patterns that help promote healthy school communities. Participants were tasked with defining:• Which interior patterns are important for Douglass?• What types of exterior patterns will support learner and

community needs?

The common themes and areas of agreement are captured on the following pages.

INTERIOR PATTERNS• Welcoming Entry• Heart• Learning Community• Curiosity Center• Social Commons• Project-Based Learning Space (+ Art)• Performance Space: Formal/Informal• Fitness Space• Play Space• Learning Porch• Cave Spaces• Building as a 3-D Textbook

EXTERIOR PATTERNS• Paths• Parking• Safe Transportation Routes• Grassy Fields• Playground Equipment• Outdoor Learning Areas• Gathering Spaces• Learning Gardens• Landscape• Sunny Building• Peaceful, Natural Places• The Energy School• Courtyard • Covered Areas• Seating• Hard Play Surfaces


DESIGN PATTERNS WORKSHOP

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DISCOVERIES

• Interior Patterns• Flexible spaces for large group

gatherings• Stairs with ramps• Auditorium• Daylight• Small group spaces• Cave and play areas• Good acoustics• Loft• Tree theme (ties into the Leader in Me)• Campfire-like gathering space• Soft seating• 2-story classrooms• Heart/common space• Sitting stair• Teaching kitchen• Moveable walls

• Science lab• Early childhood entrance• Upper and lower grade wings• Learning porch• Gross motor room• Big windows

• Exterior Patterns• Places to eat outside• Trees• Accessibility • Fitness path• Drinking water• Playground equipment• Shade • Outdoor amphitheater w/log seats• Climbing wall• Bathroom access• Parking

• Improved drop-off and pick-up• Grass field• Bridge linking indoor/outdoor areas• Greenhouse• Rope swing• 7 paths for 7 principles• Junk yard play• Colorful 4-Square courts• Zen garden• Musical equipment outdoors• Area for artistic expression



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How might we create safe

passage to school?

TRAFFIC

How might we use soft,

ergonomic seating to

enhance learning?

FURNITURE

How might we actively

build outdoor learning into

the school day?

OUTDOOR LEARNING

How might we design the

campus to actively

encourage student

leadership and

responsibility?

LEADERSHIP

THANKS FOR PARTICIPATING!

Contact Fielding Nair International:

519 N. Charles Street, Suite 300 Baltimore, MD 21201

248-703-3681

Contact Boulder Valley School District:

6500 Arapahoe Rd, Boulder, CO 80303

303- 447-1010

http://facebook.com/fieldingnair

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http://www.fieldingnair.com

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http://www.bvsd.org/CapitalImprovements

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