Way Ahead I
n April, BHS announced that it had surpassed its initial $10 million goal for the Leading the Way campaign. The School also showcased designs and conceptual images for the leading edge Innovation Centre and Arts Wing that will be funded by the campaign and will house the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Design, and Mathematics) programmes at BHS.
This fundraising effort, conducted in less than three years, is the largest in the School’s history and may be the most successful philanthropic effort in Bermuda’s history.
This accomplishment, at a time when Bermuda is facing significant financial challenges, demonstrates the commitment of donors in the community to support education, and, in particular, STEAM education for girls. “Women are underrepresented in boardrooms, in corporate leadership and certainly in the fields of technology, engineering and science,” says Head of School, Linda Parker. “At BHS, we play an important role in ensuring that more of our girls consider careers in STEAM, by sparking a sense of wonder and curiosity, as early as possible, and then nurturing and challenging students’ interests through our curriculum and inspirational teaching, in a state-of-the-art facility.” Local architects Linberg & Simmons, in collaboration with education architects from Gensler, in the United States, were tasked with creating an inspiring design for the Innovation Centre, while also re-imagining beautiful new spaces in the adjacent Butterfield Building, to create
18 Torchbearer Spring 2018
the Arts Wing. Mark Thaler, Senior Associate and Education Practice Leader at Gensler, says that the designs specifically support the goals of a STEAM curriculum. Speaking at the unveiling of the designs, he described an “intentionality” in the design based on five drivers for the Centre: Connecting Knowledge; Embracing the Maker; Celebrating Creatvity; Spanning the Local-Global Gap and; Crafting the Game. Mr Thaler was part of the Gensler team that authored The ABCs of STEM, which connects pedagogical thinking, programmatic requirements, and conceptual building design. “The building is organised around these five drivers. It is not just a collection of spaces; it is a campus,” he said. The new learning spaces are orientated in a way that will encourage interactions between related disciplines, facilitate collaboration amongst students and teachers and accommodate a variety of learning and teaching styles. The use of glass, in place of walls, will encourage participation and curiosity in all subjects, while modular furniture will allow classrooms to be reconfigured,
depending on what best suits the subject matter.
The new facility will include five new Science labs, two Computer Science and Robotics Labs, a Learning Commons and Library, a MakerSpace and a Leadership Centre for Girls. Renovations will include a Blackbox Theatre, in addition to the Arts Wing connected to the Innovation Centre, featuring upgraded Music and Visual Art departments, with an outdoor “Idea Hub” linking the Visual Arts with the MakerSpace.
Construction of the new 14,000 square-foot facility is expected to begin this Fall and will open to students in September, 2020. “Investing in Science, Technology and the Arts, particularly at a girls’ school, really resonated with all of the people with whom we spoke,” says Director of Advancement, Jennifer Burland Adams. “We know that we are preparing our students for exciting careers that haven’t yet been defined, and that the combination of technical competencies, together with excellent problem-solving, collaboration and communication skills, will be key to their success. “This is why a strong STEAM education
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