"A Visit to the NEW Sammamish High School!"
Scott Powers
Principal Sammamish High School
Scribe: Bob Holert Editor: Bob Holert Introduced by: Howard Johnson
Howard Johnson introduced our speakers, Johnny Hong, an Architect with Integrus Architecture of Seattle, and Nancy Larson, Facilities Director of the Bellevue School District, for our meeting off-site at Sammamish High School.
Integrus Architecture was awarded the contract to design the new Sammamish High facility in 2012. It was a total teardown and rebuild in 4 phases, starting in 2014 and being completed in 2018. The first two years were spent engaging with the students and teachers to answer questions as to the desired functionality required and optimum design for the school. Ultimately the total cost of the new facilities (including computers, equipment, etc.) was $125M. The student capacity is now 1800 while Sammamish presently has 1100 students.
Sammamish High School today is a new three-story building for academic programs and a two-story athletic building that are integrated with an existing Performing Arts Center and athletic fields. Through a series of workshops, a building organization evolved that places student resource areas adjacent to STEM-based program areas while gathering classrooms and studios into clusters centered on shared learning spaces.
The middle level of the new three-story building is the primary entry point – allowing every learning space to be no more than a single flight of stairs from the centers of student activity. Also constructed was a Great Lawn on the south side of the building that slopes up from the new student parking lot.
After the presentation by Johnny Hong and Nancy Larson, those BBRC members who had the time were escorted through parts of the new building which included the Graphic Design and Robotics classrooms, the gymnasium and athletic facilities and the Glass blowing classroom.
Chris Boland opened the meeting with Dennis Newell doing the invocation and pledge while Margie Burnett introduced guests and visiting Rotarians. Carmela discussed the Dine Around on February 9 and 10 and encouraged people to sign up. John Martinka next reminded everyone of our major fund-raising event All in for Autism 2019 and the kick off meeting on January 25. Last Girish Bhatia gave a report on the participant registration for the Ai4A Run-Walk in April.