international school of columbus - we fly...charter school patterns of innovation a building better...

A New Architecture for a New Education Ball State University

PARTNER PROFILE: COLumbus, IN

INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL Of COLUmBUS

IntroductionThe International School of Columbus (ISC) opened as a Charter School in the fall of 2009 on the north side of Columbus. The school is located in a repurposed fashion center for a strip shopping mall. The school’s curriculum was inspired by parents seeking alternative choices for their childrens’ educations. The first year has seen the school enroll 89 students in grades seven through nine, with plans to expand through grade ten in the fall of 2010.

OverviewLocation: Retail SuburbanGrades: Currently 7-9, expanding through 12th grade in future years.Students: 89 studentsYear Chartered: 2009Square Footage: 9,743 SF

Learning Snapshot: International Baccalaureate Program as part of a worldwide community of schools.

HistoryThe International School of Columbus was founded in 2009 after an extended process of discussion and research. The idea to create the school was developed when concerned parents were standing on the soccer field watching their children play. Discussion developed over the concerns they had about their children going to the large public schools beginning in their seventh grade year. The idea of creating a smaller, more personalized, and safer school began to grow as

through a collaborative learning environment promoting rigor, relevance, and relationships, which emphasizes student achievement by inspiring and challenging students to reach beyond themselves so they may achieve full potential to contribute and compete globally as independent, creative and compassionate citizens of the world.”

The International School of Columbus has high aspirations and strives to be the best it can through integrated learning, personal relationships and the constant desire to better itself. It is the school’s vision that they will become nationally a top 100 public school by the year 2013.

a Charter was completed and accepted by BSU Charter School Authorizer. Once accepted, the search for a facility was enacted and discovered, allowing for the creation of the school grounds and the opening in August of 2009 in the corner of an existing shopping center. The site is located on the north side of Columbus, Indiana.

PurposeThe Purpose of the International School of Columbus is to create a safe and personalized environment for students to become well rounded, engaged citizens. This is done through smaller class sizes, more personal interaction, and developing relationships between student and teacher. While academics are very important, another goal of the school is to instill a sense of pride and community involvement in the students’ current and future lives. The school strives to teach the students to reach beyond their potential in order to become inspirational and helping individuals. There is a strong emphasis on the continuation of education beyond high school in the hopes that an individual will never stop learning throughout their life and that they can use their constant gaining knowledge to help others and the community around them.

Mission & Vision StatementsThe mission of the International School of Columbus is “to make an effective difference

Figure 2.12.2: The school is highlighted red. It is located on the back side of the shopping center. The school’s current entrance used to be the loading dock for the fashion center. (Google Earth)

Figure 2.12.1: The front office is located right inside the main entrance. (A. Schenk)

Figure 2.12.3: International School’s motto is to “Dream Big. Work Hard.”

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Charter School Patterns of Innovation A Building Better Communities Project


Figure 2.12.5: ISC Students by County (Based on 2009-2010 school year enrollment).

Demographics2009 Enrollment: 89 students in grades 7-9

52% male and 48% female

Figure 2.12.4: Race/Ethnicity Comparison

Caucasian (85%)

Multi-Racial (9%)

African American (4%)

Asian/Pacific-Islander (1%)

Bartholomew

Jackson

Johnson

Brown

Curriculum The International School of Columbus is focused around the International Baccalaureate® program. This program’s curriculum is focused around three core requirements.

1) The extended essay: Students independently study in-depth a question relating to a subject they are studying.

2) Theory of knowledge: A course in which students examine different ways of knowing (perception, emotion, language and reason) and different kinds of knowledge (scientific, artistic, mathematical and historical).

3) Creativity, action, service: A student-driven project where students actively learn from the experience of doing real tasks beyond the classroom.

“The International Baccalaureate® (IB) offers high quality programmes of international education to a worldwide community of schools. There are more than 756,000 IB students at 2,744 schools in 138 countries.” Once ISC becomes an official IB school, it will be one of only twenty schools in the state of Indiana to offer this degree.

During grades 7-10 students are in what is known as the Pre-IB Middle Years program. This program is designed to provide a framework of academic challenge to encourage students to make connections between traditional school subjects and the real world, as well as to become critical and reflective thinkers.

The Middle Years program consists of eight subject areas integrated through five areas of interaction, capstoned by a personal project.

Before graduating, students take written examinations, administered by the International Baccalaureate®, ensuring that students worldwide are held to the same standards in education. This also has the effect of leveling the playing field for students continuing on to post-secondary education.

Daily Schedule The school day begins at 8:55 am and ends at 3:57 pm. The late start time is based on research which found that teenage students learn better later in the morning rather than earlier. The daily schedule is broken down primarily into 85

minute blocks, with shorter periods interspersed throughout the day and five minute passing periods between each class. 1st. Period 85 min.2nd Period 85 min.3rd Period 50 min.Lunch 30 min.4th Period 85 min.5th Period 60 min.

Student Life Friday is club day at the ISC, and students can choose up to three different clubs to be involved with throughout the month. Along with traditional athletics such as tennis, golf, cross country, and basketball, groups such as the Wellness Club, Art Club, and International Club give students the chance to expand their horizons, get involved, and learn how to properly balance academics and extra-curriculars. Other clubs include Student Government, Social Squad, Computer Graphics, Music, Drama, Global Outreach, Local Philanthropy, SADD, Book Club, and Games.

Figure 2.12.6: An alleyway behind the school to the west holds potential for a future “Creativity, Action, Service” project. (A. Schenk)

Decatur

Jennings

Shelby

Bartholomew

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Figure 2.12.7: Floor plan of the building. (A. Schenk)

Facility OverviewThe facility is 9,743 square feet of adaptive reuse space. The building was designed and built as a fashion store and the school entrance was at one time the delivery area. It was originally built in the 1980’s and was renovated in 2009 to its current state.

Spatial SystemsSeven classroom spaces, all approximately 750 square feet, are located off of two narrow corridors. The commons area is located just inside the main entry, adjacent to the administrative areas. This commons area is used for meetings, lunch, and other group activities

and acts as a central hub for the school. Lockers, donated to the school, are sporadically placed throughout the commons, since the corridors are too narrow to accommodate them by code. Restrooms are tucked away down a secondary hallway, not adjacent to public areas, which could pose a problem in the future. Additional building shell space on the south side will be converted into more classrooms following the 2009-2010 school year.

Circulation/Movement SystemsCorridors are narrow, only meeting minimum standards required by code. They do not allow for any student interaction. Anyone stopped in them is instantly blocking the flow of traffic. Lack of access to daylight and all-white walls make the corridors very cold and not a pleasant place to be. The “u” shaped circulation system works effectively for egress and entry. Beginning this movement system in the “commons area” is also effective, however more could be done to provide informal learning “pockets” along corridor space.

Site ResponseThe International School of Columbus is located in Columbus, Indiana, a moderate sized community known for its famous architecture. The school is located directly off highway US-31 in a shopping plaza at the border of an urban area; bridging the connection between commercial and residential spaces. There are numerous retail and commercial areas to the north and northeast yet residential spaces to the south and southwest. This location allows for easy access and the opportunity to utilize local facilities.

The site of the facility is an area with great opportunity. The school is currently located on the rear side of a retail and office center known as the “Fashion Shop Center.” The center contains other businesses and facilities such as a church, paint store, hair design place, “Curves” fitness, Sylvan Learning Center, a hearing service, Think Path, Ind. Revenue, and a dance studio. There are also office spaces available for future expansion. There is sufficient access to the facility through two different entrances and enough parking to accommodate the center and school currently and during future development.

The green space is sparse, however, with a small area at the entrance of the building and along the west side. There is great potential for this green space and sufficient ability to expand its perimeters. In contrast, the pavement currently supplies a space for physical activities

Student Response The student response to the school is one of respect. It is stated by a teacher Shawn Bentz that “[the] kids like the openness” of the school. There has been little to no vandalism to the building which demonstrates the appreciation the students have toward their facility. The classrooms were full of excited students interacting with the teachers and their subject matter. The overall student atmosphere was positive and the repurposed school building creates an enjoyable, safe, and clean space to learn.

Building Shell Space

West Side Alleyway

N

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Charter School Patterns of Innovation A Building Better Communities Project


Figure 2.12.8: The school’s main entry to the south currently lacks the aesthetics to entice community involvement but has potential for outdoor learning and connections to be made in the future. (A. Schenk)

Figure 2.12.9: Styrofoam inserts attempt to divide the spaces acoustically. (A. Schenk)

such as basketball and other sports for playing and physical education. The site is currently secluded to the areas south and west by fences and vegetation, however, has great potential to open up and become a connection between the two zones of residential and commercial and to provide access and opportunities to surrounding outdoor learning spaces.

Energy and Sustainable IssuesAccess to daylight is a major issue to be addressed with the current facility. Many classrooms are located in interior spaces with no access to daylight. Classrooms that do have daylight access only have small punched windows, which do not provide adequate daylight or views.

Electric lighting is not ideal either. Classrooms and hallways are all lit with standard fluorescent fixtures, suspended from the unfinished ceiling. Little to no accent lighting is available to highlight student work or create dynamic meeting spaces.

Other potential sustainable project ideas include rainwater harvesting, outdoor courtyards of native plants, and possible solar heating to the south using the commons area as a thermal heat sink.

Safety and SecurityThe facility provides adequate safety and security in many different ways. The entrance of the building is located at the back side of the shopping center and is the only door on that side. This creates an added security through the effect that only individuals approaching the school should be in the area. It also allows for reduced traffic and provides a safe outdoor space for the students to interact and learn. There are currently two entrances to the building, however, one door is constantly locked and not used for public access. This is required by code, having two means of egress, or ways to get out of the school in case of an emergency.

The main entrance is also always locked and requires a staff member from inside to allow people to enter. The exposed office provides great visual security for this area and allows the staff to see as visitors approach. The open “commons area” also provides informal surveillance of the facility. The combination of these aspects creates a safe and secure school that provides comfort and relief to students and the entire community.

Building SystemThe structural system of the building is a primary factor in the lack of daylight. Load-

bearing concrete block walls reduce the amount of windows that can be inserted into the facade without major changes to the structural system becoming necessary. An opportunity however is available in the roof/ceiling assembly. An effective roof monitor over the classroom spaces would provide essential daylight into learning spaces and be cost effective.

Interior FurnishingsLimited budget led to major shortcomings in the terms of furnishing the building. The combination of the lack of finished ceilings and walls that do not reach to the full height of the space is leading to a serious acoustics problem. Noise is transmitted easily between spaces and students cannot even practice during music classes without the entire school hearing them. As a temporary solution, styrofoam boards have been placed between many of the gaps. This is mildly effective, but by no means a permanent solution to the problem. Acoustic tiles and/or acoustic curtains should be explored.

The all-white walls, combined with a lack of daylight access or accent lighting lead to a very institutional feel, especially in the corridors. Student and faculty-made signs help add splashes of color to spaces, but they cannot compete with the overwhelming white walls towering over the corridors.

Classrooms suffer from a lack of storage, which is apparent when in the spaces. Supplies, books,

and other materials spill from over-loaded make-shift storage devices that do not match or create a sense of unified space. An organized, built-in storage wall would be an effective and attractive solution.

FundingAs a tuition-free charter school, the International School of Columbus does not receive state funding for facilities, transportation or technology like traditional public schools. Charity funds from many eager parents allowed the school to renovate the building, along with a generous donation from the property manager.

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Figure 2.12.11: A teacher leads a class lesson on Spanish. This classroom has windows to the west. (A. Schenk)

A student’s father, who is a contractor, donated his services and did most of the work at-cost. Other parents of students donate their time and money to the school, and the ISC is constantly seeking donations. Opportunities to apply for stimulus funding for sustainability features should be pursued.

S.W.O.T. AnalysisStrengths

Willing parents, community, teachers, and • students

International Baccalaureate Curriculum•

Flexible curriculum which allows teachers to • work together

WeaknessesNot enough money for proper facilities•

Lack of daylight in classrooms•

Lack of ceiling or wall treatments leading to • acoustic problems

Lack of connection to potential outdoor • learning environments

No pedestrian connection to local • neighborhoods

Figure 2.12.10: Student art adds color to the narrow, all-white corridors. (A. Schenk)

Possible space needs for student expansion • planned for coming years

OpportunitiesRoom to expand, flexible landlord•

Businesses willing to work with the school•

Increasing grade levels, eventually up to 12th•

Connections to colleges such as IUPUC for • resources

“Open canvas” on building exterior for • creating a community aesthetic through mural painting, mosaic tile, or other artistic treatment

ThreatsNot receiving enough funding to continue • grade expansion

Lack of visibility to community•

Parking could become an issue as the school • expands to grade levels in which students will be old enough to drive themselves to school. Expanded parking is available on the north side of the building, but how students get from that lot to the school’s entrance on the south side safely must be addressed.

Future PlansThe International School of Columbus has high expectations for itself over the next several years. Already planned for the summer of 2010 is a 3,422 square foot expansion, which will add four classrooms to the existing facility. This will accommodate the addition of grade 10 and added storage. The current location of the school within the fashion mall allows for future expansion in all directions. This creates opportunities to continue to add space, allowing for more amenities and students. Long term plans include developing a new building, possibly at the completion of the current 5 year lease, which will accommodate the entire high school and potentially allow the current facility to become an elementary school. These plans, however, are still very tentative, but display well the high goals held by the International School of Columbus heading towards their bright and ambitious future.

SourcesConnie Nobbe, Principal, International School of Columbus.

International Baccalaureate (IB) websitewww.ibo.org.

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international school of columbus - we fly...charter school patterns of innovation a building better...

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