Most Blessed Sacrament Catholic School - Ocean Pines, Maryland
By: Frances Putman
A comprehensive study conducted by the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington, which includes parishes in Delaware and Maryland , found that more elementary classroom space was needed throughout the diocese. Traditionally, Catholic schools are connected to particular parishes, with leadership and financial support of the schools coming from within those churches. However, in this case, the diocese decided to build two regional schools, each of which would be supported by several parishes, with fundraising for and leadership of the building projects taking place at the diocese level.
By creating these regional schools, the diocese believed it could make a Catholic education more accessible and affordable to a greater number of students. A capital stewardship campaign called "Bring the Vision to Life" was implemented to raise the needed funds for both campuses.
Once the buildings were completed, leadership of the schools continued to come from the diocese. A board of pastors was established to advise the principals of the two schools and to create budgets and set tuition rates. Lay leaders from various parishes also were selected to serve on the board. Each of the several parishes the schools serve were allotted a certain number of student spaces and were and still are responsible for a determined level of support.
One of these schools is Most Blessed Sacrament Catholic School, which is located in Ocean Pines, Maryland . The school is located on a 25-acre site, adjacent to St. John Neumann Church , though its support comes from several other parishes in the area, as well.
"Our philosophy for Most Blessed Sacrament was simple," noted Amanda Mattei of Buck Simpers, Architect + Associates, Inc., the architectural firm involved in designing the project. "We strived to create a quality learning environment."
In the master planning phase, leaders from the diocese were clear about their desire for this to be a true community school-a place to be used frequently after school hours for sporting events and other community functions. With that in mind, the firm designed the school with multiple entrances and a self-contained gymnatorium/multi-purpose room set apart from the main area of the school.
"The gymnatorium has a folding partition to divide the room, if necessary," said Mattei. "The room is designed to be used after school hours, while the remainder of the building can be locked down to avoid public access to classrooms."
The design of the 55,000-square-foot building, which serves students in kindergarten through eighth grade, has students separated into four academic pods, based on grade level. The pods are created by organizing four classrooms in each wing and on each floor around a shared central space.
"The classrooms are built in clusters. Certain grades are grouped together to create separate units or mini-campuses," said Mattei. "Students are surrounded by others of similar age and grade. Fewer classes use the same hallway, and this creates a more secure atmosphere for the students to meet students from other classes."
The result is a flexible learning environment that can accommodate group instruction or support interaction between students of different ages.
While students are separated by grade level for academic subjects, there are many areas of the school that they all share. Younger students interact with older students in the media center, gymnatorium, chapel and lab areas. This allows for flexibility in group learning and helps to facilitate programs like student mentoring and tutoring.
One of the goals in designing the school was creating an environment to spark the imaginations of young learners. This is evident even before entering the school, as a dramatic canopy and large cross greet students, staff and visitors. The entryway leads into the lobby, which is surrounded by the media center, gymnatorium and administrative wing. The academic wings also flow out of the lobby area.
"The building was designed for future expansion," said Mattei. "And core facilities and site considerations were designed with that in mind."
In fact, the building, originally designed to accommodate 300 students, includes core spaces that can accommodate up to 500 students.
In the classrooms, natural lighting was incorporated into the design. Multiple, operable windows were installed in every space possible. Interior glazing pulls the light throughout. The bright and cheery atmosphere is accomplished through light and kid-friendly colors chosen to make the classroom spaces appealing and to stimulate learning.
Other elements in the design help facilitate instruction and performance.
"The music room is designed to serve as a rehearsal room adjacent to and providing direct access to the stage of the gymnatorium," Mattei said.
Also important to the school was storage space, which was effectively designed to serve needs throughout the school In fact, at every stage, much thought and consideration went into creating the best possible flow for school traffic.
"Our main goal is to maximize efficiencies in circulation and access so that once the schools are up and running, the focus can shift (from the building process) to student achievement," she added.
Buck Simpers Architect + Associates, Inc. ( BSA+A), www.simpers.com , is a nationally recognized, full-service architecture and interior design firm headquartered in Delaware, with offices in Maryland, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The 40-person staff is divided into studios focusing on the main market sector, which is K-12 Education. BSA+A is in its 28th year of business and has completed more than $650 million in education projects.
Fast Facts
School: Most Blessed Sacrament Catholic School
Affiliation: Catholic
Location: Ocean Pines, Maryland
Student Body: Approximately 200
Grades Served: Pre-K-eight
Project Goal: Build a new elementary school to meet the needs of students in the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington, Delaware
Size: 55,000 square feet
Cost: $8.9 million or $161 per square foot
Challenge: It was very important to school and diocese leaders that Most Blessed Sacrament be available for after-school recreation and community events. For these events, however, it was imperative that classrooms and other school areas be secure.
Solution: The design accomplishes this through multiple entrances into the building and the ability to lock down those areas not being used. The gymnatorium, which is often used for community functions, is off the main axis of the building.
