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As one of the oldest and most accessibility challenged structures in a large, suburban school district, this new school replaced a 1915 building with a two-story, state-of-the-art facility. It accommodates up to 600 students and aligns with modern learning strategies.

The learning environments for the school were envisioned with the needs of today’s students in mind. Alignment with the way students learn and teachers teach was established through several public community engagement sessions and in-depth teacher/student workshops. The new education environments embrace different learning modalities and enable flexibility for future changes. Since today’s students learn by doing as a much larger part of their day, space for active learning was needed in grade-level “neighborhood” suites and public areas.

The scale of the academic “neighborhoods” allows students to feel part of a much smaller group within the greater whole. Ownership to a neighborhood is further strengthened by the unique feeling of each grade level design. Accent paint, millwork finishes, carpet patterns, and custom signage announce living room entries. Furniture selections give students choices and provide comfort in their daily activities.

The delivery of a modern education requires more one-on-one and small group interactions as well as access to social emotional learning resources and speech, occupational, and physical therapy. These specialist interactions are distributed throughout the grade levels with the same positive spirit that is attributed to core learning spaces.

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Elmhurst CUSD 205 Field Elementary School

A Student-Centered School Designed for Diverse Learning Modalities.