J.O. Wilson Concept Design Feedback, Wednesday Feb. 21, 2024

Open outdoor space

        – J.O. families rate our ample outdoor space as the most important physical feature of our current campus they want to preserve. We want to maximize this space as much as possible in the new design.

        – We prefer that our outdoor space not be substantially shifted to the north of the building where it will be in shadow all winter, where parents cannot see their children at play, and where the community will have less access on weekends.

        – We value in our current campus that J.O. presents to the neighborhood as a joyful outdoor playspace at 6th and K Streets. We want to preserve that openness and play space on the west of the campus as much as possible.

Gymnasium

        – To preserve the open west end of the campus, we would prefer to move the gym, possibly to the location of the demolished octagon.

        – We feel a second-floor gym will be too loud on the learning spaces below and will hamper bad-weather dismissal, likely to involve parents coming into the gym to collect students.

Entrances/Admin

        – The main entrance needs to be adjacent to the cafeteria, where most children K-5 start the day with breakfast. We do not want older children to enter at the opposite end of the building and pass through the PreK corridor to access the cafeteria during hectic a.m. dropoff. (Concept 1 and Concept 3 both have this problem)

        – We prefer admin to be adjacent to the main entrance, so visitors pass by admin before going anywhere else.

        – We would like some of our admin space to be distributed on other floors, not all in one place.

        – We value an open and welcome “heart of the school” but want it behind an entrance that feels secure and controlled.

Commons Space

        – We currently have a school “commons” that is widely used for multiple purposes, including:

                – student art shows

                – community events like our Camp Fair and Career Day

                – PTA meetings

                – grade-wide student meetings
                – mentoring groups
                – mini assemblies and holiday celebrations

                – teacher appreciation meals

        – It’s not clear what space would serve this function in the proposed designs. Could we create such a space that is open, multi-functional and community-serving?

The Prek class cluster

        – Must have 8 total classrooms: 3 prek3, 3 prek4, 1 10/6 class, 1 self-contained. No proposed concept has adequate Prek class space.

        – We need space for Prek students to receive services like speech therapy nearby (could be in a resource room or discovery commons within preK hallway)

        – We would like the PreK classes to have a discovery commons or other additional open space, like the older grades (this also facilitates indoor recess during bad weather).

– Need some nearby exterior doors – apart from the main and secondary entrances – to facilitate children going out to play and parents who enter for a.m. dropoff (our Prek dropoff is in-classroom; our older students are dropped off at the main entrance)

        – Wish list item: direct access from classrooms to the outdoors (like shared outdoor PreK playspace at School Within School, or individual outdoor class patios at Capitol Hill Montessori)

Upper Grades

        – We need 1 self-contained classroom for k-2 on 2nd floor, and 2 self-contained classrooms for 3-5 on third floor.

        – We have reservations about the open-style bathrooms, if they can be adjusted.

Specials classrooms

        – Too chaotic to have all of them by the front entrance, like in Concepts 1 and 3

        – Specials teachers would like direct access to bathrooms, to limit transition times and distraction for students (and we prefer not to have younger students who travel to specials classrooms visiting 4th/5th grade bathrooms on the 3rd floor, for example). A common hall bathroom adjacent to a specials cluster would help.

        – Aside from bathroom concern, it is not important to us that specials be clustered together.

        – We prefer to have performing arts/music classrooms close to performance space, if possible.

Performance Stage

        – Performing arts are a signature program at J.O. Wilson, but that is not highlighted in the proposed concepts.

        – We hope the stage will receive not just a facelift, but a true upgrade to include better lights, sound equipment, etc.

        – We would like the stage to be larger than it currently is, if possible.

        – We would like storage spaces near the stage that could be dedicated to the theater program’s equipment, props, costumes.

        – See note above about locating music and performing arts classrooms near performance space, if possible.