Designers chosen for new Centre


L


ocal firm Linberg & Simmons will design Bermuda High School’s new Innovation Centre and upgraded Arts Wing. The selection of the architectural firm is an important step in


the School’s $10 million Leading the Way campaign, which will optimise the teaching of subjects regarded as especially important in the modern world - namely Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Design, and Mathematics - the STEAM subjects. Linberg & Simmons will work in collaboration with overseas experts on the design of STEAM facilities when designing the Innovation Centre. The same team will design the Arts Wing, to be created from renovated space in The Butterfield Centre. “The new buildings and programmes will further enhance the


School’s already excellent reputation and strengthen our ability to attract students and faculty well into the future,” said Linda Parker, Head of School. “The combination of Linberg & Simmons and their STEAM design consultants is the perfect team to execute the transformation of the BHS campus by designing the Innovation Centre and Arts Wing. “They are recognised for their design excellence and ability


to create facilities that are also functional. We look forward to starting the design process this fall.” The Innovation Centre will be a 14,000 square-foot facility with five science labs, including robotics, computer science labs, a design and creation space or Fab Lab, an Entrepreneurship Centre and a Digital Media Library and Resource Centre. In addition, a Leadership Centre for Girls will be housed in the


Innovation Centre with a leadership initiative to be piloted at BHS, and then opened up to girls and young women across Bermuda, so that they can hone those skills that great leaders possess. The Arts Wing at BHS will combine Music, Drama and Visual Arts into one building, allowing for better collaboration. This renovated space will include three new visual arts studios, including ceramics and digital art, improved music classrooms and practice rooms, a drama studio and a black box theatre. Linberg & Simmons is pleased to be part of a project for a school that has a history of excellence and being forward-thinking. “The Bermuda High School is almost 125 years old, and steeped in tradition, but it is clear that the leadership at the School is committed to ensuring their students are well prepared for the future,” said Gary Simmons of Linberg & Simmons. “The right learning environment is key in this process, and we look forward to delivering just that.” The STEAM facilities will broaden the potential for a wider educational experience, not only for current and future BHS students, but also for others in the community. Diversity of gender and race is needed in the fields of Science and Engineering, in particular, and the skills gained from a STEAM- infused education are the skills that employers consider essential. These are the ability to think both critically and creatively, to be collaborative and communicate effectively, to analyse problems and to come up with innovative solutions. Fundraising efforts had already generated $7.7 million towards the overall $10 million goal by August, 2017, with companies, foundations and individual donors still being approached.


Anyone wishing to learn more should visit www.leadingtheway. bm and contact Jennifer Burland Adams ’95, Director of Advancement at jburlandadams@bhs.bm or 441-278-3040.


Expert joins BHS staff Julie Hasfjord, a consultant with the Teaching Institute for Excellence in STEM (TIES), has joined the BHS faculty and will be working with the School to execute its STEAM Vision over the next two years. In order to meet a growing demand, and to prepare students for the unique challenges of an increasingly global, knowledge-based, innovation-driven economy, TIES works with schools to create programmes and curricula that place Math and Science more squarely at the center of the educational enterprise, with teaching focusing less on fragmented and isolated bits of discrete information, and more on scientific understanding and reasoning. Julie and the staff at TIES bring years of experience to school districts, educators and administrators on how to successfully launch STEAM schools; overhaul existing curricula, institute professional development training protocol and engage the entire community in supporting a STEAM-based educational platform.


Torchbearer Fall 2017 15


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