By Craig Floyd, Upper Campus Head of School
January 22 – Last week, our high school faculty took a walking tour of the construction site at Upper Campus and heard an update on plans to replace the buildings destroyed by the Thomas Fire, as well as the addition of the new Student Commons. Grading is underway, and the site is beginning to take shape.
As we stood on top of the hill, with dark rain clouds approaching, we could envision the monumental changes to come in the months ahead, and the tremendous benefit they will bring for the future growth of the school.
For our teachers, the rebuild will mean moving into spacious, modern classrooms and science laboratories equipped with the best technology available. The new Aramont Science and Technology Center, perched on the hill overlooking Burr Hall, will offer expansive views, natural light, and environmental sustainable features that will meet the standards of LEED Gold certification.
Inside the tech center, the Digital Media Lab will meet the needs of our award-winning journalism program and allow us to expand our academic course offerings. Next year we will add a new class in videography, supported by Hollywood-grade editing hardware and software. We will also bring back Music Theory and Composition, giving our aspiring music students the opportunity to broaden their knowledge and experience.
Across the hallway from the Media lab, the impressive Makerspace and adjacent Physics Lab will meet the needs of our growing robotics program, allowing students to develop their engineering skills while working with hands-on projects. These spaces will encourage students to experiment, design, build and program at a collegiate level using professional-grade resources.
With student input, the design of the rebuilt Grace Hobson Smith girls dorm will offer stunning west-facing views of the Ojai Valley. It will feature a beautifully landscaped central courtyard and more dorm rooms to accommodate more students in the years ahead.
In the two-story Student Commons, our entire community will soon be able to gather under one roof to enjoy meals together. Our current cramped dining hall will then be converted to a student kitchen and boy’s dorm lounge. The Commons will also provide a spacious library with views of the Ojai Valley, bigger meeting rooms for College Counseling and the Learning Center, a dedicated Student Store, and a long-awaited Mezzanine Lounge for all our students to relax, study, and socialize.
We have always been a college-prep school, but the rebuild is finally allowing us to provide students with modern facilities that feel like a small college campus without abandoning our character or connection to the outdoors.
We are eager to see it come to life and move into the new buildings during the 2020-2021 school year. I encourage you to see renderings of the buildings, which are posted on our website. We will certainly update you on our progress in the months ahead.
