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Education Has Evolved Since the '60s
Education Has Evolved Since the '60s
The teaching standards of the 1960s were incorporated into the design of Old Turnpike School. Additions built since then are at least 29 years old.
Today, the science labs are outdated, the All-Purpose Room shows its age, the Art Room floorplan is inadequate, and the isolated Technology Room is distant from cross-curricular opportunities.
Like the elementary school, OTS has exterior doors in need of replacement. Classroom doors are also on its referendum list. Old flooring and HVAC units are targeted for replacement.
Projects in Question 1 and Question 2 would improve OTS.
Projects in Question 1 and Question 2 would improve OTS.
Question 1 projects have costs that would result in a tax decrease. For OTS, this question includes exterior doors, new flooring and improved HVAC units.
Question 2 projects meet a further goal of improving the district’s ability to continue providing an outstanding educational program. All of those projects are at OTS. Question 2 cannot pass unless Question 1 also passes.
New Layout, Equipment for Old Science Labs
New Layout, Equipment for Old Science Labs
Students need classrooms that encourage collaboration, creativity, and hands-on learning. The learning spaces where science is taught have outdated layouts and workstations.
Grades 5 and 6 learn science in generic classrooms with standard desks; these are not outfitted as science labs.
Grades 7 and 8 learn science in lab settings, but they don’t meet current needs. A limited number of standing-height workstations feature a small sink in the middle – taking up valuable space for notebooks and equipment, and creating a risk for electronics to fall in.
Renovations would:
Relocate science instruction for grades 5-6 to share a hallway with grades 7-8, creating a cohesive Science Wing where grades 5 through 8 have modern labs.
Fully renovate four science labs.
Design and outfit the room for today’s teaching styles, such as workstations for students along the perimeter and a demonstration table all of them can see easily.
What specific features would be part of modernized science labs? See the details on the FAQs page.
What specific features would be part of modernized science labs? See the details on the FAQs page.
All Purpose Room Ready for All its Roles
All Purpose Room Ready for All its Roles
The All Purpose Room at OTS serves as a cafeteria, performance space, assembly hall – anything that pulls together a large group of people.
Cinderblock walls and a makeshift stage extension are signs that this space is outdated. Floor tiles are made of old materials that are no longer used in schools. When full, the APR often becomes overheated and uncomfortable — especially during warm months or evening events.
Renovating this space would ensure it can meet the needs of a growing and active school community with new flooring, ceiling and light fixtures. Imagine a newly built stage with a fresh curtain, and a chairlift for improved accessibility. Updated stage lighting and sound systems would bring this room into the modern era.
The APR features a collection of student art tiles on one wall. At nearly 20 years old, it is a tie to history that would be preserved as the room is renovated.
A cohesive ‘STEAM Suite’ for Career Exploration
A cohesive ‘STEAM Suite’ for Career Exploration
Art and technology can go together – they are cross-curricular components of STEAM (which adds Art to science, technology engineering and math). At OTS, spaces for both of those need updates and they could have better synergy if they were closer together.
The Technology Room is equally outdated, with minimal storage, no sink and no way to collect fumes and particulates that come from project creation. It is not equipped for the kind of team-led, project-based learning that builds real-world skills.
Question 2 proposes moving the Tech Room to be right next to the Art Room. Panels would let in more natural light. Convenient power cords, a 3D printer, vinyl cutter and exhaust venting would advance this room’s ability to support student invention.
The OTS Art Room is a big, open space that doesn’t have enough storage or natural light. Access to water and power is limited, and its kiln was installed when the school was built in the late 1960s.
Question 2 proposes a full renovation of this space, including new exterior windows and more natural light. New sinks and a new kiln are part of the plan. Ceiling-mounted power cords would be installed over new workstations with plenty of room to create. In addition to storage space inside.
How would renovations upgrade the Art and STEAM Rooms?
See the details on the FAQs page.
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