Architects change exterior design of schools after reactions to first draft; Hinckley group asks district to incorporate sustainable design

by Erica Peterson

July 15 school board meeting

The revised exterior designs for Hinckley, Granger and Sharon elementary schools that GPD Architects shared with the Highland Board of Education were more warmly received than at the first go-around in June.

Superintendent Catherine Aukerman said the district heard “many comments from the community” and from board members after the last meeting voicing concerns about the initial renderings.

“This is very much a work in progress,” she said. “As we have indicated along the way, initial images can, do and will change.”

Rodwell King with GPD presented new designs.

The initial design of Hinckley Elementary included bright red exterior walls with an irregular window placement to create a “playful” feel and high pointed roofs that King said fit in with Hinckley’s aesthetic.

Hinckley looked very different from the other schools by design. All three buildings had a distinct look, King said, meant to reflect the different character of each community.

The new renderings have more of a cohesive look, using design elements from Highland High School.

“One of the comments that we heard was that in order to unify the school district, we should emulate some of the features of the high school, which would provide some sort of continuity of identity throughout the three communities,” King said.

Some of the common elements include high, dark-tinted windows, decorative brackets and shake siding.

School board President Norm Christopher said after seeing the initial renderings in June, he was “left a little uneasy. It just didn’t jibe with what I was sort of expecting.”

He said he felt a lot more comfortable with the revised designs.

“I feel like they have a kind of air about them that reflects what’s important: they’re safe, they’re comfortable, they’re inviting, they’re warm,” he said. “I feel good as a first response.”

Board member Diane Thomas said the new design “is timeless and sophisticated.”

“One of the best buildings around here is this building,” she said, referring to Highland. “You don’t need this big of a building, but something similar brings it all together.”

Aukerman said designs will continue to be tweaked throughout the process.

Sustainable design

Richard Pearl of 350 Hinckley, a citizen group that promotes sustainability and renewable energy, asked board members to consider sustainable architecture when designing the schools.

“In as little as 20 years, school buildings across the country may be built with net-zero energy consumption,” he said. “I’d like to know how our schools would stack up against schools built, say, in the year 2040.”

Pearl presented a white paper to the board on sustainable architecture, addressing style, sustainable exteriors like brick, and energy efficient exteriors that include solar panels.

“The public has entrusted the board with spending $60 million in tax dollars on the new schools, and we would like to see the money spent wisely,” the paper concluded. “The board, your design team and the community can work together to build safe, efficient and sustainable schools for our community.”

Athletic training agreement approved

The board voted 4-0, with Christopher abstaining, to approve a school athletic training services agreement with Akron Children’s Hospital. The measure was removed from the June meeting’s agenda after Dr. Todd Zeiger with University Hospital’s Sharon Family Physicians asked why the district was considering ending its 20-year relationship with UH and Sharon Family Physicians and paying another provider, when he and his doctors provide free services.

At the June meeting, Aukerman explained that when the Medina County Health Department said it would no longer offer nursing services to the schools, the district looked to “bundle” nursing services and athletic training services, and that the district needed “to increase the amount of time for our middle school students on the strength and conditioning side of things.”

At the July 15 meeting, board member Robert Kelly said it was “absolutely, 1,000 percent wrong” that the district wanted to switch from Sharon Family Physicians to Children’s Hospital Medical Center.

“When this whole thing started, we told everybody that was bidding that we wanted to keep the doctors we’ve had for 20 years,” he said. “This was about a contract for training services and a contract for nursing services. It had nothing to do with doctors.”

Kelly said the district is “hoping that the two doctors we’ve had will continue to work with us,” saying the district has had contracts with other hospitals over the 20 years Sharon Family Physicians volunteered their services as sideline doctors.

“Nothing should change now,” he said. “If they decide they are not going to do it, it will be their choice.”

Christopher added that sideline medical services are not part of the contract with Akron Children’s.

Aukerman said the district is waiting to hear from Dr. Zeiger as to whether he will continue volunteering his services.

Pay to participate fees

The board voted to approve pay-to-participate fees for athletics, extracurriculars, co-curriculars and clubs for the next school year. Fees will remain at $250 at the high school, $200 at the middle school and $50 per club, with a maximum $750 per family.

Aukerman said the only change is that students who are approved for reduced lunch fees based on federal lunch program guidelines will be charged half the cost, with a $375 family maximum, and those approved for free lunch will have all fees waived.

She said the district researched how other districts handle pay-to-participate fees for families with financial hardships.

“We’ve always wanted students to get a well-rounded education, and that does include participation in clubs and extracurriculars,” Aukerman said.

Thomas said she supported the change. “Students should not be excluded just because of their inability to pay these extra fees,” she said.

Featured image photo caption: The second rendering of Hinckley Elementary unveiled July 15 was better received. It more closely resembles the other two school designs, all of them evocative of the current Highland High School. Photo courtesy GPD Architects