January & February
​2020 Milestones

​1. The Educational Facility Master Plan process was mobilized and launched with Sustainability and Curriculum/Instruction workshops in January and February in St. Thomas/St. John and St. Croix.  

2. All campuses were toured and assessed for correlation of educational vision with the facility.  

3. The Educational Facility Master Plan website was initiated with a May launch anticipated.

​4. Preliminary furniture specifications, conceptualization, programming, and design underway.
The Virgin Islands Department of Education values the ideas and concerns of our school communities and the community at large, and encourages the public to participate in workshops and open houses. We have established a New Schools Construction Advisory Board to develop guiding principles, recommendations and host stakeholder meetings.
Chaneel Callwood, AIA I Architect of New School Construction

​PRELIMINARY DRAFT OF EDUCATIONAL FACILITY MASTER PLAN / MAY 2020
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TOURS & BENCHMARKS / MAY 2020
In May of 2020, VIDE leadership virtually toured future-facing schools in Phoenix and Denver, meeting with district leadership to explore the architecture and industry standards setting benchmarks for teaching and learning in the 21st century.

An Introduction to the Visioning Workshops:

The Educational Facility Master Plan is organized in six phases structured around formal visioning workshops.
The workshops focused on:
  • Sustainability &              Vernacular Architecture
  • Curriculum & Instruction
  • Program Development
Key topics covered in these sessions included: 
Outdoor Learning, Applied Learning, Alternative Education, Programming, Technology, and Safety & Security.
To review summaries of each focus area, follow the links below.
Guiding Principles

Visioning occurs at many levels, but begins with the collective adoption of guiding principles.
​The VIDE's guiding principles, outlined below, were defined during initial facility planning efforts and represent a new way of thinking about what constitutes acceptable learning environments and the value of community involvement in educational facility planning for Virgin Islands Public Schools.
Health, Safety & Security
Best practices will be employed in the design, construction, maintenance and operation of all facilities, including prevention and intervention measures to address academic and behavioral issues/concerns.
​Equity
The Educational Facility Master Plan ensures there is a balance in the quality of resources between current schools and new schools.
Whole Child
School designs will integrate academic and co-curricular spaces and be tailored to the learning styles of students at the Pre-K level. The design will continue to be child-focused to enable students to experience self-directed, self-paced learning that prepares them to function in millennial higher education and workplace environments.
Cultural, Local & Economic Competence and Resilience
Planning, design and construction efforts will embody cultural, local and economic competence and resilience by:  
  • Vernacular architecture being incorporated into designs
  • ​Local and Minority/Women-Owned Business Enterprises (M/WBE) participation in design and construction being encouraged and tracked with goals
  • Vocational programs and opportunities for certification
Addressing the Needs of All Students & Integrating Technology
Our schools serve students from diverse cultures and communities, and no matter where the student is based or where their education occurs, their education will still be forward-looking, high-quality and world-class.
Using Technology to Assess the Impact of Practices
Space will be provided that is adequate in relation to not only enrollment projections, but also suitable to support educational innovation and advancements for 21st century learning environments. Schools are nexus points that shape our communities which, in turn, shape our schools.  To strengthen this nexus, it will be important to collect and maintain relevant data.
Integrated Design, Assessment, Operation & Management
Use factual and current data related to existing conditions of facilities, their suitability to support 21st century learning, and resiliency to inform the need for repair, renovation and/or replacement. New and modernized schools will employ integrated design, assessment, operation and management principles in new and existing buildings.
A detailed summary of the visioning process is outlined in the Educational Facility Master Plan.
​Review the full Visioning section at the link below.
04_vide_master_plan_20200629_visioning_138-285.pdf
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