Heritage MS Builds Their Own “School of the Future”
Since early Fall 2009, a small group of 7th and 8th grade students at Heritage Middle School, under the direction of their Technology Education teacher, Susanne Killian, have been designing a
"School of theFuture"
for a national design competition sponsored by CEFPI
(Council of Educational Facility Planners International). The competition was open to middle school students across the United States, and has a stringent set of rules and regulations.
The students not only built a 3-D model of their proposed school, but also produced a video and presentation boards.
The competition will culminate during School Building Week in April, with a winner identified during a recognition & awards ceremony in Washington, DC. The winning teamwill also make a presentation at the annual CEFPI conference in theFall of 2010.
Jim Copeland, Vice President of Moseley Architects, (who is also an officer in CEFPI), and several of his staff members (Nick Lash, Ashley Dennis, Emily Earl, Melissa Herald, and John Nichols) have mentored the Heritage Middle students throughout this process.
The students really enjoyed working with these young architects and designers from Moseley. Moseley Architects is known for designing award winning schools throughout NC and Virginia, and they are the architects or our Wilburn Elementary Capital Improvement Project. Additionally, Larry Sherrill & Marcella Rorie, Facility Planners in FD&C, have provided support to the students and Ms. Killian.
The students presented their project to a group of Heritage Middle faculty & staff, their parents, and their mentors on the morning of January 12, 2010. Their presentation was excellent! The students focused on sustainable design principles, and "green" architecture to create an inspiring facility for middle school students.
They specified recycled materials for flooring and low VOC paints. On the site, they used recycled tires for pathways, and used a pervious grid for the parking lot to allow rain water to gently filter through to the soil beneath.
They even made sure to design a daylight-filled lounge for the teachers! You could really see the results of the collaboration and research that has occurred over the past few months, and the excitement and energy of the students was palpable. Also, with Heritage Middle being a YR school not all of the students were on the same track-out schedule.
These students should be commended for their dedication as they willingly came to school during days they were tracked out to ensure the project was completed successfully to meet the CEFPI deadline.
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Have you heard of the disaster in Haiti? Millions of people displaced and 10's of thousands dead. Many children just like you are orphaned.
What do you think we as a country , as a wold of countries should be doing for these children? Maybe talk to your friends or even, maybe your parents.
How would you like to see the future for these children?
Remember they have lost most everything they owned. Some even thier parents.
Find Haiti on a map. Look it up to see what type of country Haiti is, it's resources.
If you had it in your power, "What would you do to create your view of the future of Haiti??????"
Come on let us talk. Join in on my guest page.
Take the Wheel
When venturing to think about the future, you need to know the future is all you want it to be. You need to be at the wheel of your ship and guide your direction.A little planning and goal setting can get you to the future you want. At least very, very close.
Remember defeatist thoughts will not get you to where you want to be. Those will surely bring you down. At the very best make it far more difficult to succeed.
Think of how you would like people to think of you as well as how you want to think of yourself; good person, friendly person, smart person, loving person, successful person, someone people can look up to.
How would you like to be living in the future; nice job, friendly home, family of your own, pet, boyfriend, girlfriend.
Remember the future is yours for the taking. So keep your eye on it and make it good. For that you will be a very rich person.
How do you see the future?
Perhaps there will be flying cars. Maybe there will be no cruelty in the world. Wouldn't that be nice. How about this, they will make a great tasting candy, and you will be able to eat all you want without worrying about getting cavities. Or worrying about getting heavy.
Are you ready for this one? You won't have to go to school because you will learn everything from a pill. Then you would have all kinds of time to be with you friends, playing, creating things from your ideas. Helping mom and dad around the house, or cutting the lawn for your father so he won't need to after he comes home from work. Instead you can play ball. That goes for mom also. When she gets home maybe you can go shopping.
Trains without tracks and are suspended from the sky traveling at high rates of speed.
Or this, no more wars.
So, what do you think the future will look like?
What should I do then to make the future great?
Well, as you know the winner in life is not the one with the most money when he dies, the winner is the person who sleeps best at night. To feel good about yourself and the people around you, listen to them and show them the love and respect they deserve as fellow human beings and help those in need. That is what will matter when you go to bed at night in 50 years from now, and hopefully will give you a good night’s sleep.
Come on, what do you think. Tell me. Just sign into the guest page at the bottom of the page.
