The Park Campus Master Plan: Building on 171’s Visionary Foundations BY P E T E R M . B A R K A N ’ 8 6
I
was a skinny first-grader when I first walked through the doors into The Park School. It was the start of the seventh year on Goddard Avenue. The complex Brutalist building was the biggest and most overwhelming building I’d ever explored. There were endless rooms, corridors, stairwells, and a rumor of secret tunnels. Walking from our classroom all the way to the Dining Room was an exciting excursion, and venturing beyond the stone wall towards the Faulkner House seemed like a trip to Narnia. The walls popped with all the colors of Starburst candies. At that time, the driveway meandered through ancient pine and maple trees, and it provided a comforting boundary between the castle and the wild beyond. Park’s technology footprint was only two PET 64 computers secured in crude plywood carrels. The scene in most classes would be 17 kids facing the chalkboard, flipping pages in a workbook, and occasionally watching a movie…on real film. Our backpacks were very, very heavy. A lot has changed in the 43 years since my first day. I went on to three more campuses, learned a bit about Brutalist architecture, and I’m no longer intimidated by the “wild beyond.” I have also experienced Park’s carpool as a parent, and yes, I’ve actually been in the secret tunnels. In the 50 years at Goddard Avenue, Park’s community has grown by about 200 students, and shortened by one grade level. Park’s World Languages offerings have expanded from French and Latin to include Spanish and Mandarin, and the program includes STEAM, extensive athletics, and a focus on social-emotional growth. Technology swelled in the 2000’s to fill three dedicated computer labs, and then shrank down into the fingertips of our youngest students. Learning has become collaborative,
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THE PARK SCHOOL
self-directed, and supported by endless technology-enabled resources. The roadway now crowds the buildings and hosts a twicedaily gridlock of harried parents. Backpacks are still heavy. Park’s campus has been adapted extensively to always meet Park’s mission to provide excellence in education and a joyful environment. The School added the West Building and the bridge in 1996 to provide science labs, more classrooms and a double gymnasium. Then, in 2008, we added the North Wing as part of a strategy to enlarge the number of students at each grade level while also reducing the number of students in each classroom. We’ve also acquired eight precious acres of woodlands and three houses.
