A Stewart Middle School team “built” its concept of a School of the Future with four clear domes and an underwater dome for science students to study aquatic life. Their model and presentation of their ideas recently earned them first place in the School of the Future competition sponsored by the Council of Educational Planners International and the National Association of Realtors.
This team of Stewart Panthers won the state competition in Kirkland, beating out a Mill Creek team. The winning team members going to the regional competition are Lauralye Roberts, Ronin Jones, Katelyn Wear and Devon Summ from Edith Stewart’s and Alicia Halls’ humanities classes. Mark Hurley from TCF Architecture was the architect who mentored the students, and Kellie Kaiser from McGranahan Architecture helped coordinate the program at Stewart.
“For the competition, students design what they feel would make a great school building in the future,” said Edith Stewart, the teacher in charge of the program. “Our students worked in groups of three or four since September. Our sixth-grade humanities team also participated, so we had 54 groups.” This is the third year Stewart has participated in the School of the Future competition.
The School of the Future Design competition offers an opportunity to illustrate the kind of creativity that students bring to the planning and design process. The competition highlights the importance of well-planned, high performance, healthy, safe and sustainable schools that foster student achievement and enhance community vitality. The annual competition, open to middle school students, challenges student teams to design their schools to enhance learning, conserve resources, be environmentally responsive and engage the surrounding community. The multi-disciplinary solution requires students to follow a planning process from the concept phase to completion of the project, with thorough documentation. The students will present their project to a jury for review.
Each team is required to submit a project model, a 3 to 5-minute video or PowerPoint presentation and a 750-word narrative description documenting the planning process and rationale. Supporting materials, such as plans, elevations, perspective drawings, Google Sketchup or other CAD drawings, etc. may be submitted on foam boards and/or tri-fold boards that can be displayed on an easel.
After a preliminary round at Stewart, the top six teams presented their School of the Future concepts to a panel of architects. The highest-ranking team went to the state competition where they won first place. If they win at the regional competition, the team members will go to the national contest in Washington, D.C.
The students’ design included four clear glass domes with bamboo walls and floors. Steel was indicated to support the glass sections making up the domes. The model has light tubes, a natural area in the middle of each dome for students to go and relax, hydroelectricity and passive lighting. The students also designed an underwater dome nearby for science students to be able to explore aquatic life. Community members are encouraged to use the pool, gym and gardens in this School of the Future.
Established in 1921, CEFPI is a worldwide professional non-profit association whose sole mission is improving the places where children learn. Its members (individuals, institutions and corporations) are actively involved in planning, designing, building, equipping and maintaining schools and colleges.
Stewart Middle School Panthers earned first place in the School of the Future competition.They are, from left, Lauralye Roberts, Katelyn Wear, Devon Summ and Ronin Jones.