HISD released a video Tuesday that showcases the progress in the planning and design of the first group of schools being built and renovated under the district’s 2012 $1.89 billion bond program.
Less than a year since the bond program was approved by voters, the video shows site work underway at South Early College High School, as well as ongoing collaboration among students, faculty and architects in design workshops. The video also highlights community meetings now underway to encourage participation in the bond program.
“We’re hoping that in addition to getting people involved in the decision making about this, that we will be able to really create schools as centers of communities,” says HISD General Manager of Facilities Planning Sue Robertson, who is featured in the video. “The buildings are important, but the point of it is to transform education.”
Students, along with their fellow Project Advisory Team members at 22 schools, have spent hundreds of hours over the last few months collaborating in meetings and workshops to help guide the design direction for these projects. The new schools will be sustainable 21st century learning environments with the flexibility and infrastructure to support various types of learning and technology.
“We’re all bringing our sorts of experiences and what we envision our school will look like in the future,” says HISD student Gabriel Maffuz in the video.