Students enter Centaurus High School, a building constructed in 1973 and due for major renovations. (Photo by Lindsay Hahn/Under the Flatirons)
Centaurus High School parents, students and leaders gathered last Thursday night for a community visioning workshop designed to inform the community about upcoming renovations to the school and to gather input and feedback.
Built in 1973, the facilities need repairs in several areas. Renovations include the HVAC system, the roof, the cafeteria, lighting, restrooms and tennis courts, among other things.
The renovations are funded through the $576.5 million bond issue approved by Boulder Valley School District voters in November 2014.
Fielding Nair International, a company known world-wide for their unique approach to education and architecture, is working together with BVSD on the renovations and facilitated the workshop.
During the presentation, FNI’s president Prakash Nair emphasized “huge disconnects” between the way students learn and the way school buildings are set up. Nair also listed a variety of architectural issues with Centaurus’s buildings, and laid out the potential FNI sees to make the building more conducive to learning.
Nair did not shy away from pointing out the flaws in Centaurus’s building. Those attending the workshop not only accepted a less than complimentary evaluation of their school facilities, they found humor in it.
Citing an evaluation meant to measure the effectiveness of the school’s learning environment, Nair stated that a school’s score of “22-28 would be excellent, 14-21 would be adequate and 0-13 would be inadequate . . . your school scored a 4.”
Nair also noted the cafeteria’s grim environment as a place students “take their lunch and . . . get away as quickly as they can.”
Both statements were met by the audience with laughter.
Both Nair and BVSD see the renovations and repairs at Centaurus as part of a bigger picture.
The renovations will change the way the school, the students and the teachers function. Teachers will not necessarily be locked into the same classroom all day. Nair envisions more open areas, shared “learning commons” and places for students to receive direct instruction, work in groups or break off to mentally process information on their own.
The learning environment envisioned by FNI’s architects fits well into the district’s newly adopted strategic plan, the Success Effect.
BVSD superintendent Bruce Messinger described the Success Effect as the district’s road map, of which individual student success is the cornerstone. The district recognizes the physical needs of the building but want to invest in improving the student learning environment as well.
Community participation was encouraged and many expressed a desire to know more about the practicalities of the $20.5 million budget, physical design details, accommodations for growth and a variety of learning styles, training for staff and the potential for flexibility.
Students attending the workshop said they want the renovations to complement their education and to encourage them to take responsibility for their own learning.
Parent Bob Shafer, in reference to the school’s efforts said, “This is a breath of fresh air . . . I’m ready to change. Let’s see what you got!”
Under the Flatirons 2016 