The Ultimate Group Project

What makes a group project successful?  Our students can tell you that group work is most productive and exciting when innovation and inclusion are valued, and when members come with ideas, specific knowledge, and a willingness to ask probing questions. As a community, we are engaged in just such a process!

How Can a Building Support our Educational Vision? October 17th Community Workshop: Superintendent Becky McFall, and educational planners from SMMA and EwingCole will lead two workshop sessions (8:00am and 7:00pm) focused on how architecture and design support educational goals. They will share the priorities expressed by our educators during an all-day visioning sessionheld September 28th, show examples of other schools, and engage the community in discussion about specific concepts and educational spaces. Join us at 8:00am AND/OR 7:00pm, Brooks Gym.

This Week: On Wednesday, October 11th, the SBC and members of the PPDC will learn more about community priorities through a series of short presentations from the Historical Commission, Public Safety, the Planning Board, the Green Energy Committee, the Conservation Commission, and the Commission on Disabilities. Added to previous presentations from Parks & Recreation and the Water Commission, these conversations will help the SBC, PPDC, and the community understand the complex series of opportunities and issues that must be balanced as work moves forward. Join us at 7:00pm, Hartwell Multipurpose Room.

Recap of October 3rd Workshops: Last Tuesday, more than 130 community members came together in the Brooks Gym for interactive sessions aimed at exploring the future of the Ballfield Road Campus. The sessions were facilitated by the architecture firm SMMA, which in partnership with EwingCole, was hired by the School Building Committee (SBC) in August. In addition to the design team, members of the SBC and the Community Center Preliminary Planning and Design Committee (PPDC) were there to listen and learn from the professionals and the community.

Both the morning and evening sessions featured information-sharing and gathering as SMMA used five possible campus configurations to generate discussion and to more deeply understand Lincoln’s collective priorities for a revitalized campus, one that will cohesively accommodate a preK-8 school and possibly a community center on one site. Echoed continuously by both the community and the architects was a commitment to preserving the unique character of our campus, while at the same time defining a forward-looking vision that improves the campus experience for students and Lincolnites of all ages for years to come. Missed the workshops?  See the video of the evening session here.