Our Process

Listen, Collaborate & Apply

Our process has consisted of various meetings and workshops with students, teachers, parents, local business owners and community members. We have researched, explored and vetted various options and scenarios and are seeking additional input and support from the greater Hamilton community.

Committee Workshops

Together with a group of community members, teachers, parents, staff, board members and business owners, we’ve been exploring and testing various options for the future of Hamilton Public Schools.

Seeking solutions that offer the greatest benefit and long term solutions to the community, we have established a series of guiding principles that help set the foundation of the project.

Guiding Principles

  • Create a welcoming & inclusive environment where all students, staff and parents feel a strong sense of belonging.

  • Create a unique sense of place where the history of HMS is recognized and respected, but its next generation is redefined by innovative educational spaces. The facility should encourage students to understand the past while seeking to define the future.

  • Optimize every opportunity within the facility to create multi-use and shared spaces (spaces between spaces) to maximize unique learning settings and foster both formal and informal student and teacher collaboration.

  • Provide a safe environment for students, staff and parents that not only includes proper systems and monitoring devices, but also considers safe site circulation, street traffic, and pedestrian / bicycle routes.

  • Provide a variety of indoor and outdoor instructional spaces that are adaptable and flexible enough to accommodate a wide range of learning activities for both small and large groups outside of the traditional classroom.

  • Ensure building and facility grounds are designed to be efficient, safe and easily maintained. The overall design should balance high performance design with budget and longevity.

  • Provide performance, meeting, recreation and support spaces for shared uses that encourage community participation. These spaces need clear zones which distinguish community space from private spaces for student learning.

  • Ensure spaces used for students, staff and the community are equitable to existing spaces (e.g. gym, auditorium, college, etc.), and provide the necessary spaces and environments needed for successful learning and community activities.

  • "Would like to have a solution that will last 50 years."

    -HMS Committee Member

  • Students walking between two buildings is a major safety and security issue. It would be beneficial to have one building instead of two.

    -HMS Committee Member

  • Would love to have flex space that can be used for a variety of activities. This could be interior or exterior space.

    -HMS Committee Member

Student Workshops

We included students in grades 5-8 in the planning process. In a series of workshops, we were able to understand what a day in the life of a middle school student really looks like. We discovered what inspired these students, what helped them do their best in school, and what type of environments they wanted to learn in.

These workshops have become an integral part of the process, revealing information that helps guide planning to create optimal environments for the people who will use them the most.

What students are saying:

“It would be nice to have a better pick-up space after school. Right now it is chaotic and crowded.”

“I like the idea of spaces with lots of natural light and enough space to meet with friends and do a variety of activities..”

“Being outside is the best part of my day so I would love to have more outdoor activities.”

“The POD has no windows and feels dark and dingy.”

“The playground is only concrete and feels like a cage.”

Community Outreach

It is important to keep the community up to date and engaged throughout this process. Transparency in what the district is exploring and gathering information from the community at large is of utmost importance. There have already been a series of community meetings but this process is constantly ongoing to ensure the community has access to the latest information.

What community members are saying:

“It would be nice to keep the middle school on the west side of town, so it is easily bikeable and walkable.”

“The current school is outdated and has maintenance issues. A new or significantly improved middle school is needed within the community.”

“I like the history of the existing middle school. I think it is a building we should repurpose or reuse.”

  • Listen

  • Explore

  • Collaborate

  • Apply