Yes is a word that welcomes student ideas, encourages growth, and shares enthusiasm. It’s a word full of challenge, optimism, and inclusion. It allows independence and choice. It affirms identity and acknowledges accomplishment. Hyla is full of stories of yes and the capital campaign is about building new spaces where those stories can flourish.
Our commitment to the Hyla community
The building project follows a set of thoughtful guiding commitments that reflect our philosophy and values:
All of the new spaces are designed to enhance student learning, but even the process of creating those spaces prioritizes student work. We carefully sequenced the construction timeline to ensure that no teachers were displaced due to Phase I construction. Construction began in June and three new classrooms were ready on the first day of school.
With this building project we are formalizing our commitment to environmental sustainability. Both phases of the building project incorporate environmentally sustainable practices wherever possible to reduce our carbon footprint:
- With the installation of energy efficient heat pumps, the building project moves Hyla off the oil-fired boiler and dramatically improves our energy efficiency while alsoenhances indoor and outdoor air quality.
- The thermal envelope of older buildings is improved through the HVAC system, increased insulation, and energy efficient windows and doors.
- Indoor environmental quality is improved with low-emitting materials (carpet, paint, etc.) and increased daylighting (skylights, new windows, glass-paned doors, etc.).
- Phase II of the building project will incorporate solar panels to introduce alternative energy sources and help our campus contribute to the energy grid.
Renovations and new construction pre
serve the historic roots of our campus. We are committed to maintaining a consistent look and feel throughout the building project and are thankful to Studio Hamlet Architects for beautifully realizing this goal. Our commitment was put to the test when we renovated the red farmhouse building that needed a new foundation for safety and structural integrity. Extensive interior work involved hand digging over 80 cubic yards of dirt that was then removed via conveyor belt (shout out to the construction crew!) The outside is the same charming red farmhouse, but the inside is entirely new: safer, cleaner, and designed specifically for our administrative needs.
The Hyla Board of Trustees is also committed to open communication and we welcome any chance to share our enthusiasm for this project! New methods of communication – like the Symposium events and School Communiqués – help to keep all Hyla families informed about this project. You can also check our website for updates about the building project.
Funding and the Capital Campaign
At Hyla we achieve things through community and the campus improvement project is no different. To complete this important work in Hyla’s growth, we will rely on generosity from our community.
We are inspired by and grateful to early donors for their strong enthusiasm, deep generosity, and community leadership. Early investments in this campaign come from all parts of our community, including current parents, alumni families, former leadership, and current and past trustees.
Everyone in the Hyla community plays a role in the success of this campaign. Together we can reach our goal and ensure years of child-centered, hands-on learning at Hyla.
Project Team
Carley Construction:
Dave Carley
Tim LeFebvre
Studio Hamlet Architects:
Russ Hamlet
Brandon Hogg
Hyla Board Buildings & Grounds Committee:
Steve Prentice, (alumni parent)
Dave Cinamon (alumni parent)
Eun-Sook Goidel (alumni parent)
Karen Rice (Board President, alumni parent)
Capital Campaign Committee:
Suzanne Messinger (Head of School)
Karen Rice (Board President, alumni parent)
Barb Maduell (Capital Campaign consultant)
Katherine Johns (Director of Advancement; current parent)
Dana Willerford (Trustee, alumni parent)
Cortney George (Trustee, alumni parent)
Scott James (Trustee, current and alumni parent)
Behind the Scenes
How it All Began
Like many Hyla stories, this one begins with Paul Carroll. As Interim Head in 2016-2017, Paul worked with the Board to address serious challenges affecting our campus: aging buildings, inadequate classroom size, insufficient storage, zero flexible space, and health and safety concerns. Paul strongly advocated for the change needed to address these issues and we are grateful for his emphatic nudge. Through a formal facilities assessment, the board took an honest inventory of what needed to change at Hyla in order to make sure that our program and mission remain strong into the future. When Suzanne became Head of School last year, the board was already committed to much needed renovation and construction. Building upon years of careful planning by previous boards to prepare Hyla for a campus improvement project, the Board voted to not only address infrastructure, but do so in a way that cements environmental sustainability as an official school practice and core value.
Student Involvement
Involving students has also been a goal since the beginning. At the first Morning Meeting of the year, we invited the architects and the construction team to meet with students and answer questions. This was also an opportunity for students to express their gratitude for the exciting work being done on their behalf. Since then, students have continued to be involved in the building project in many different ways. One group of students is working with science teacher Jeff Steele to build a 3-D model of the entire campus as an Elective. Students in Kimberley Gorman Trick’s Global Education class will research how other schools implement sustainable practices. Some students learned about the equations used to calculate the exact slope of the new front steps thanks to Carley Construction Lead, Tim LeFebvre. And all students participated in the ribbon cutting ceremony to open the newly renovated administrative offices in the red building –a wonderful way for students to practice gratitude, but also a way for the adults at Hyla to respect the connection students feel to their school. As the project progresses, student inquiry will continue to be an important part of the process, with questions like “what are we passionate about that should be included in this project?” and “what are the adults not yet thinking about?”
Teacher Involvement
Teacher input has been an important part of how this project has progressed. The wish list that teachers created back in 2016 with Paul Carroll became a founding punch list for the building project. Every need on that list has been addressed – and then some. We have included teacher voices along the way so that their input translates directly into building design. Teachers collaborate with architects and the Buildings & Grounds Committee to arrive at creative solutions to classroom needs. While we owe our teachers much gratitude and praise for their resourcefulness and patience with space limitations over the years, we owe them so much more. The building project gives them the proper resources and places to do their important work with students.
Embracing Construction
Even with a construction zone in the middle of our campus since June, our program continued on as brightly as ever – plays, Mini-Term, art installations, engineering projects, and more. We extend our gratitude to Tim LeFebvre, Dave Carley, and everyone at Carley Construction for accomplishing their work with minimal disruption to our daily routine. We are also thankful to teachers, students, and parents for continuing all our beloved traditions right around the construction zone – from the Barn Party to conference meals to PE and math.
Interacting with the physical environment of their school has long been part of the Hyla experience. Whether placing engraved rocks in the poetry garden for graduation, weaving beads onto outdoor webs, or building natural sculptures during retreats, Hyla students connect to the places of Hyla in countless ways. The construction zone was no different. In true Hyla style, we artfully absorbed the construction zone into our school. Here is a picture of art teacher, Kate Lovejoy, and history teacher, David Maron, painting the plywood that wrapped around the red building to create a student artwork installation. Even with hammers and saws going, the spirit of Hyla remains strong!