More than 50 individuals who are part of the Berkshire Local Schools P.R.I.M.E. Committee recently reconvened with a meeting to move forward with the exciting next steps for the K-12 construction process.
P.R.I.M.E. Committee Presses Forward
More than 50 individuals who are part of the Berkshire Local Schools P.R.I.M.E. Committee recently reconvened with a meeting to move forward with the exciting next steps for the K-12 construction process. Under the overall leadership of representatives from BSHM Architects who have been contracted to design the building, the forum included a summary of 10 school planning concepts from which professionals associated with the project will draw detailed community feedback over the next several months.
Viewed as the future community hub, the Berkshire K-12 campus will thoughtfully consider such planning concepts as security, maximum collaboration for learning, wayfinding for students, flexibility, operations, diversity, health and sustainability. After elaborating on each of the topics, meeting organizers opened the floor to a robust question-and-answer session, where participants from the community, including parents, teachers and other local leaders, weighed in on a variety of topics.
Feedback from the community addressed matters of external building façade design and materials, the scope of collaboration in classrooms, renewable energy opportunities, walkability and outdoor learning spaces. Berkshire’s new K-12 facility will be constructed on the Kent State University-Geauga Campus, the atrium of which served as the location for this particular community meeting.
More community engagement sessions are planned over the coming weeks and months. Architects hope to use these sessions to gather more detailed input and refined feedback, so that by year’s end, a solid footprint of the building and campus layout can be envisioned and presented. In all, this latest P.R.I.M.E. Committee community engagement meeting represents the next step in the construction process and previews more exciting sessions to come.
Makerspace Training
To help students develop future ready skills, select district staff members from all three buildings had the unique opportunity to participate in separate in-depth training sessions using Makerspace equipment during the week of Sept. 10. Approximately five teachers each from Ledgemont and Burton elementary schools received training on Sept. 11 and 12, respectively. On Sept. 12 and 13, twelve junior and senior high teachers from a wide range of content areas participated in an identical training program.
The training sessions were provided by representatives from the Inventionland Institute, which creates products and educational programs that promote project-based learning. Participating staff will have the opportunity to train fellow teachers on how to incorporate the Makerspace technology into classroom learning in the future.
Featuring state-of-the-art technology including 3-D printers, a laser etcher and printer, vinyl printer and 3-D carving machines, the Makerspace equipment is available at all three district buildings and was purchased through a grant provided by the KeyBank Foundation. The Makerspace will give teachers the opportunity to provide hands-on learning experiences that promote creativity, inquiry and engage students of all ability levels.
Berkshire High School is currently looking for donated household materials such as small pieces of cardboard, pvc pipe and connectors, art supplies and other items to be used in the Makerspace/Media Center. For a full list of requested supplies, visit the Berkshire High School building page.
