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92 City of Sunny Isles Beach New Facility Qualifications for Architectural Design Services HE MORNING SUN STREAMS THROUGH THE LIBRARY WINDOWS WHERE THE FACES OF A DOZEN CHILDREN CONCENTRATE ON FINDING THE INFORMATION THEY NEED FOR A CLASS PROJECT. They are not flipping through an encyclopaedia or other traditional reference books. Rather, they are accessing an online database they learned about from the school librarian, using brand new computers in the technology lab. ‘The library is the heart of the school, where children can develop a life-long thirst for learning,’ says Jean M. Caskey, the new principal who started her first term this fall. ‘It is the focal point for all their support materials and is a fun environment that is conducive to learning. We want kids meeting each other and saying good morning as well as enhancing their knowledge. The library is also an excellent resource for teachers and parents who can use the amenities, view school projects and have a chance to get to know each other.’ It has been a year since Cayman International School moved out of their old cramped location into its spacious state-of-the-art facility at Camana Bay. In just one year, the student body has grown 25 percent with 290 students enrolled this fall and a waiting list for spaces in the younger year groups. More school sports now take place on campus with the addition of the new soccer field last December and the trees, plants and flowers have started to grow and fill out the courtyards which separate the classroom buildings. The upcoming year will see the school continuing to develop, with the completion of a 25 metre swimming pool, two tennis courts and two basketball courts. Work will also begin on a multi-purpose building that will double as a gymnasium, cafeteria and assembly hall. When not in use by the Cayman International School, the soccer pitch, pool and courts will be available for reservations by members of the community. ‘We always felt the academics were excellent at our old school, but the new campus has given us a facility that matches the quality of the learning taking place in our classrooms,” says Vice Principal Nimmi Sekhar. “The new facilities have given us space to grow and enhance our programmes in art, music, science and sports.’ Sandy Urquhart, Senior Vice President of Design and a Director at Dart Realty comments, ‘The construction and opening of a new school in the first phase of a multi-million dollar urban development is a rare move for a commercial project today. It is a throwback to an earlier time in the 18th and 19th centuries when building an academic institution was a source of civic pride.’ Careful thought was put into the campus design to not only enhance academics, but also give a sense of Cayman’s unique culture and tropical environment. The buildings are oriented to catch the north-easterly sea breezes and the covered walkways provide protection from rain and sun. The classrooms have large windows to take advantage of natural light and enable younger students to see the upper grades, which fosters a collegiate atmosphere and gives them insight into what they can look forward to in years to come. The science building has separate rooms for younger and older students to accommodate equipment appropriate for different age groups. A similar design was employed for both the music and art buildings. The courtyards between the classroom buildings are landscaped with plants and trees that withstand tropical wind, sun and salt and are well-suited for the different grades. The early development courtyard has a giant climbing tube for young children to crawl through. The primary courtyard has room to play ball, run around and congregate in groups. The high school’s courtyard has a small amphitheatre that can be used for outdoor lectures and encourages social interaction that appeals to older students. ‘There is not a great deal of signage because the way you find your way around the campus is intuitive,’ says Lawrence Kline, principal with the school’s architects Spillis Candela. ‘The administration building is the front door. The classrooms are the body and everything feeds off the covered walkways, which is the main street.’ Although the new campus has capacity for 500 students, Caskey says the school is in no rush to reach that number as it puts a premium on small class sizes of 15 to 17 students. This academic year marks another milestone for the school as it welcomes its first twelfth grade class and looks forward to its first high school graduation next summer. This year will also lay the ground work for the school’s most ambitious project yet – the introduction of International Baccalaureate. The International Baccalaureate is a vigorous education programme for 11 and 12 graders that prepares students for university. The two year programme is widely recognised and many universities in the US give IB students credit for the freshman year. ‘International Baccalaureate is one of the fastest growing educational systems in North America and the Caribbean,’ says Caskey. ‘It is also a major ongoing commitment. Teachers have to be sent off overseas for training, exams are couriered to different parts of the world to be graded and students have to spend a significant period of time doing community service work. ‘It will be a tremendous amount of work to get the International Baccalaureate programme going, but the school is growing and changing and this will take us to the next level.’ - by Shurna Robbins PAGE SEVEN ‘The new campus has given us a facility that matches the quality of the learning taking place in our classrooms’ EXPANDING HORIZONS T PRINCIPAL JEAN M. CASKEY & VICE PRINCIPAL NIMMI SEKHAR