3333Educational Facility Planner / Volume 43: Issue 2 & 3

Designing Personalized Spaces ThatImpact Student AchievementBy Randy Fielding

CRISTO REY JESUIT HIGH SCHOOL | CASE STUDY �

Yes we can!” Those famousthree words of the Obamacampaign could serve as the

theme for the culture of hope andexcellence at the Cristo Rey JesuitHigh School. Many of the studentsarrive in the 9th grade with readingand math skills at an early elemen-tary school level. Others lack thebasic life skills to look an adult inthe eye, shake hands, dress neatly,

and show up for school and workon time. The kids come from allacross Minneapolis, many fromgang-dominated neighborhoods.

The school is part of the CristoRey Network, featured in a 60-minute documentary and inNewsweek. The network has trans-formed the graduation rate inunder-performing neighborhoodsfrom 20 percent to over 90 percent.

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Students collaborating in the Freshman Academy during the morning

independent learning block.________________________________________

Drawing from Plato’s concept of the “Agora” meaning marketplacein Greek, the Cristo Rey Jesuit High School offers highly personal-ized learning spaces in a truly communal setting.

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Each student has a corporate intern-ship, coordinated by Cristo Rey, andspends one to two days per week offsite, honing professional skills.

Four students share one full-time internship, and the incomefunds more than 70 percent of thetuition. The 500-studentMinneapolis school is personalizedthrough division into four 125-stu-dent academies. A rigorous academ-ic emphasis is rounded out throughan athletic program made possibleby collocation with the Colin PowellYouth Leadership Center.

Each commons has natural lightand open vistas to the city on theeast. Learning Suites on the Westopen with glass overhead doors tothe commons, allowing a clear vistafrom east to west, and offer a senseof light and openness to the largelyinterior commons.

Not A CitadelIn colder climates like

Minneapolis, it’s a stretch to askinhabitants during winter to navi-gate outside between academies andshared resources. Compact buildingsare efficient connectors and theyminimize heat loss. However, theyare more “Citadel-like” than a cam-pus of individual buildings oftenenjoyed in warmer climates. AtCristo Rey, a combination of project-ing bays and the curvy Agora breakdown the Citadel massing to a morepersonal scale.

The Agora: A Connector That’s Not aCorridor

At Cristo Rey, we took a cuefrom Plato, who refers to the cityand public marketplace as the mostvibrant centers for learning(“Agora” means marketplace inGreek). Unlike the smaller commonareas in each academy, the Agora isa more public realm, connecting allof the learning communities, the

Colin Powell Center, and the publicitself. The space was designed toaccommodate project work, localartwork, student-run incubator busi-nesses, project displays, and a cafe.

Why 125-student Academies?In wealthier districts, with high

test scores and graduation rates, thevalue of small learning communitiesis less obvious. However, in lower

Students enjoy step dancing in the “Agora,” acurving public commons that connects the CristoRey Learning Communities to spaces shared withthe Colin Powell Youth Leadership Center, includ-

ing a 500-seat auditorium, a gymnasium with fourcompetition courts, a full teaching kitchen, and a

cafe that spills out into the Agora.________________________________________

Site Plan Concept Sketch___________________________________________________________________________________

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income areas with at-risk students, asecure, family-like community is afoundation for improved learningoutcomes. The Fielding NairInternational’s design experiencewith personal learning communitiesextends over two decades. We drewfrom past successes such as AvalonSchool in St. Paul, and Harbor CityInternational School in Duluth,Minnesota. Our anecdotal experiencereviewed research that goes back forfour decades. For instance, in herresearch on Brazilian tribal culture,anthropologist Jane Goodall, In theShadow of Man, writes about the criti-cal size of 60-70 person groups formaintaining a cohesive unit. MalcolmGladwell, in The Tipping Point, writesabout professional learning commu-nities with a maximum number of150 people “for a group to functionefficiently and happily.”

Structure & FreedomThe transition from a culture of

isolated classrooms to an interdisci-

plinary and project-based pedagogyis sometimes a battleground. Linesare often drawn between the chaotic,ill-defined open classroom of theseventies and the rigidity of the tra-ditional classroom. The best solutionmay lie somewhere in between. ForCristo Rey, a mix of seminar roomsfor enquiry-based learning, studiosfor collaborative, interdisciplinary,and project-work, and an active com-mons fosters both structure and free-dom.

Learning Studios &Learning Suites

Mention the word “classroom”and many students think of longdays of captivity, waiting for thebell. A “Studio” brings to mind anactive, project-based environmentwhere students take more responsi-bility for their use of time and learn-ing. One might build something in astudio, or rearrange the tables, orcapture a corner or bay and make ittheir own for a particular project.

Put two studios together andyou get a Learning Suite. Studentsat Cristo Rey call the Learning Suitein the freshman academy the

Students participate in a math graphing exer-cise in the common area, after a 20-minute

introductory lecture in a smaller adjacentlearning studio. The commons is also valuable

for theme-based, interdisciplinary sessions,where Social Studies, English, Science and

Math advisors collaborate to integrate topicsthat authentically engage students.

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“Garage” because of the large glassoverhead “garage” door into thecommons. This is one of the bestliked spaces in the school, because

of its spaciousness and flexibility.When opened, it can accommodatethe entire learning community in ameeting or presentation. One“teaching wall” has a large pulldown screen and a solid, angledceiling overhead to improveacoustics for presentations.

High Tables, Low Tables, and Soft Seating

Look across a prison or schoolcafeteria and you are likely to seerows and rows of hard chairs orbenches, all at uniform height. Incontrast, your favorite restaurant or

coffee shop probably has boothsand tables of varied sizes. Havingvisited coffee shops around theworld, ranging from Starbucks inAbu Dhabi to The InternationalCafé in Prague, it’s apparent thatthese informal, varied spaces havebecome vital work centers in theglobal economy. We surveyed stu-dents on environmental prefer-ences, and respondents invariablyselected these coffee shop-like envi-

Final Upper Level Plan________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Advisor led breakout groups in a learning studio.________________________________________

The “Garage” Learning Suite________________________________________

Serving kitchen and high tables; couches andupholstered chair groupings can be found

around the corner.________________________________________

_______________________________

At Cristo Rey, studentsand advisors meet, eat,

work collaborativelyand independently inthe cafe/commons.

_______________________________

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ronments for both independent andcollaborative work ambience.

Lockers and Open Closets in SmallFamily-like Goupings

We all need to feel connected tothe people immediately around us,and we want to be able to visuallysurvey who is coming and going.Long rows of metal lockers along

corridors fail to meet our most basicneeds for territory and space. It’suncomfortable to have one’s backfacing a corridor while digging intoa locker. In the noisy traffic flow, it’sa poor environment for socializing.At Cristo Rey, small family-likegroupings of lockers and open clos-ets are distributed in each academy.Locker or “cubbies” are largeenough to store a purse, Ipod andbooks. The open closets, shelves andhooks adjacent are intended forbackpacks, coats, and athletic bags.

Building a Culture of Excellence – an Ongoing Mission

Cristo Rey’s Principal, Dr.Kristine Melloy, helped to plan theschool while serving as a tenuredprofessor in the University of St.Thomas College of Education. Sheagreed to take a leave of absence tolaunch the school and get it on itsfeet along with the school’s present,Rev. David Haschka.

After the first year, Kristinerealized that the development of anew school culture was a multi-year

commitment, and left St. Thomas togive Cristo Rey her full commit-ment. It’s an unusual story to see aneducator leave a tenured position tobecome a high school principal. It’sjust that kind of commitment that isneeded to build a culture of excel-lence that will grow into the newfacility.

When I visit Cristo Rey, I canhear Kristine, Rev. Haschka, herdedicated group of advisors, andthe students all saying “Yes wecan!” �

________________________________Randy Fielding is the design directorof Fielding Nair International, archi-tects and change agents for creativelearning communities. He is also thefounder and creative director ofdesignshare.com and a winner of thePlanner of the Year Award fromCEFPI.

Students perform at a building dedication in 2007.

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