bright bold next campaign
next – Our priorities
At the heart of the Lower School renovation is ensuring every student has the learning environment they need to reach their full potential. A classroom is not just a space for students to have a desk and a chair—it is an integral part of the learning experience. Every design decision, from classroom size, to paint color, building materials, and access to windows and natural light has been made through the lens of pedagogy and biophilia, the innate human instinct to connect with nature and other living beings.
The meeting house will serve as the campus’s central focal point where we come together as a community. This multi-use space will serve as our gym, lunch room, house our music room, and serve as a flexible community space. It offers a powerful opportunity to elevate the great student work already happening by serving as a beautiful backdrop for live performance and artwork. This new building is also the key to allowing the transformation of the current gym into arts and science classrooms.
The most prominent example of this is the transformation of the Brick gym into two floors of science and art classrooms. At times thought of as dissimilar, the arts and sciences are both simultaneously creative and analytic. In this hub of discovery at the heart of Brick, students will learn at the natural intersection of these two disciplines. Teachers can coordinate with one another and will be able to develop projects that simultaneously live within both the art and science curriculum.
Our current spaces do not allow us to fully meet the needs of all learners or support the collaborative and small-group work that our curriculum and pedagogy demand. Every classroom will increase in size by approximately 200 square feet and every grade will gain an additional 400-550 sf of collaborative breakout space beyond the classroom to support a dynamic learning model.
Our curriculum lives on the grounds as well as within the walls of the classroom. The reimaging of our outdoor spaces allows for field and project learning that are purposefully built to enhance the academic day. A focal point of our outdoor learning will be on our science curriculum, much of which is already centered on earth sciences. This includes elevated versions of our current outdoor facilities; for example, a teaching greenhouse that can fit a group of 10 students.
The outdoor play spaces will enhance the entire campus and have significant impacts on play and learning across all grades. The renovation includes the creation of three new age-specific play and social spaces that meet the unique needs of these different
age groups: B-2, 3-4, and 5-6. The redesigned spaces also recognize that students refresh differently, and offering spaces that meet those needs is vital to ensuring all students can do their best learning. For example, a meditation garden will allow appropriate spaces for students who need quiet time, the new play structures allow for exploration, while removing Kelsey and Morrison allows for the green space needed for another child to run freely.
next – Our priorities
The power to build an inspiring community
Diversity—in all forms—enriches education. Financial aid allows us to promote socioeconomic diversity in all grades. When students bring different backgrounds and perspectives to campus, our education becomes more expansive and open to bright ideas and bold solutions. We live our values. Inquiry, integrity, belonging, kindness: BB&N is built on these values. Financial aid helps us bring them to life. We represent the brilliance of our region. We’re located in a global capital of culture, innovation, and education. Our campuses should reflect the vitality and variety of our surroundings.
A robust financial aid program is critical to BB&N’s mission and is only made possible through the incredible generosity of our dedicated community of alumni, parents, grandparents, and friends. As we look to the years ahead, we hope to continue to build upon the progress of the last five years, toward a future where a family’s resources will no longer be an obstacle to receiving all that a BB&N education can offer.
BB&N provided me with a strong foundation in terms of both academics and balancing extracurriculars. Without BB&N and the support from my family, I would not be where I am, so I’m very thankful to BB&N’s financial aid office for helping me reach my dreams and goals.
– Beyoncé, Class of 2023