SMMA's creative design translate educational philosophy into an award-winning facility that more closely connects students and their community.
The Situation
The residents of Hudson, Massachusetts, believed that public education should involve civic, as well as educational, goals. A small, working class community west of Boston, Hudson had already created an innovative approach to middle and secondary education that addressed their belief. The concept of community had been integrated into the curriculum; students were required to participate in service projects; educational processes and programs engaged students in collaborative and small-group activities; and external partnerships had successfully linked the school to the greater community through school-to-career programs.
The Challenge
Hudson needed a new high school to accommodate 1200 students in grades 8 – 12 who would learn through various small, medium, and large group engagements and in multiple teams and clusters. State-of-the-art technology was critical to the educational program. The facility also had to serve multiple community activities while providing a secure environment for students.
The Solution
From project onset, creation of the 218,000 SF comprehensive high school reflected the community’s unique goals. SMMA’s programmers and designers drew from multiple constituencies to articulate goals and establish direction. Administrators, teachers, students, parents, and town representatives were actively engaged. Community groups from the town Senior Center to its Arts Alliance shared ideas and hopes.
Hudson’s unique goals posed a challenge. As Superintendent Dr. Sheldon H. Berman noted,”We struggled to find any existing schools to use as models.” From the collective vision of educators and community, and their own considerable experience in school design, SMMA’s experts generated creative and viable concepts. From Dr. Berman’s point of view, “SMMA designers provided extraordinary support in developing options and a physical form to what we needed. For example, half of the classrooms are 5-sided, designed to support interactive teaching and total flexibility...”
SMMA architects, engineers, and planners designed the facility so that students can be grouped by age level, academic “theme”, or career pathway in self-contained clusters of classrooms. Each cluster accommodates 150-200 students, and the corresponding teacher team has its own planning and support space. For every pair of clusters, SMMA designed a large-group commons for multi-media presentations, student governance, and socializing. Advanced technology infrastructure links all spaces and programs. Facilities support pre-professional training in TV and video production, radio broadcasting, robotics, networking and technology maintenance.
SMMA addressed the building’s dual academic and public uses with an eye to effectiveness, security, and convenience. In one wing of the school are the public use facilities for such community activities as senior citizen events, day care and pre-school services, business conferences, public concerts, Town meetings, local TV and radio broadcasting, and recreation.
The Result
According to Superintendent Dr. Sheldon H. Berman, after three years “the results have been profound. There is clearly a stronger sense of community within the school and a deeper connection with the community outside. Students and teachers have developed richer relationships within a more personalized school environment. The instructional program has become more meaningful to students, and academic performance on MCAS and SAT tests, and in the number of students taking advanced placement courses, has increased substantially. The school has also created a more stimulating professional culture for faculty.”
American School & University magazine featured Hudson High School in its October 2006 publication. Safe Learning magazine cited the school’s success at humanizing the traditional high school environment and decreasing the potential for student isolation and anti-social behavior which often plagues the high school years. And the KnowledgeWorks Foundation, which conducts an annual national search for “exemplary models of schools,” singled out Hudson High School as its 2005 award recipient.
