Current State

What are the challenges facing the current high school and middle school campus?

Built in the 1950s and 1960s, the Woodstock Union Middle and High School building has far exceeded its planned lifespan of 30-40 years. According to a 2022 study by the Vermont Department of Education, the building caused our school district’s facilities to be ranked the second worst in the state in terms of their condition. Among these findings is the reality that many of the building’s systems are failing, including the building’s HVAC system, heating perimeter, windows, roof, electrical, plumbing and septic. 

There are several reasons why this project was initiated, including the following:

• Immediate facility deficiencies
  The dated facility is maintained by an active facilities department and committee of the WCSU Board. With limited financial resources, they have kept the school up and running well beyond the typical lifespan for such a facility amidst an absence of state funding to re-invest in major capital projects. However, given the facility’s age, design and construction techniques there are now a number of pressing issues which have critical health and safety, programmatic as well as cost implications that now require a long-term solution. 
  

• New paradigm in learning and teaching
  As a traditional post-war school, the current building was designed for the teaching and learning methods of the time. During the last 50 years, those methods and ways of learning have changed substantially such that the size, layout and interconnectedness of  spaces within the current school are now obsolete. The spaces in today’s modern schools are flexible and student centered with the following objectives: 

  • Fostering collaboration and connectivity

  • Making learning visible

  • Inclusion of small and large breakout spaces

  • Facilitating integration of content areas

  • Engaging students and staff with the outdoors
    

• The interests of the greater community
  There is an opportunity given the school’s site, location and quality of teaching to leverage the development of a modern facility to address core sustainability issues facing our state and region. A future-ready school located on 40+ acre riverfront setting in Woodstock, VT has the potential to attract new residents and be a catalyst for economic development. Further, a modern school can have positive outcomes for student achievement, attitudes, behavior as well as faculty and staff performance and satisfaction.

The Big Picture: Challenges with the Current Building

Fire safety: The entire facility lacks a sprinkler and fire suppression system. Without sprinklers, the entire school must adhere to a much more stringent Fire/Building Code criteria – including requiring classroom doors to be closed at all times – limiting air circulation and connectivity to others in the building and prohibiting the display of student work in school hallways.

Structural issues: Constructed before modern building codes were enacted, the facility does not meet current structural requirements. In addition, the facility’s roofs were not built for current snow and drift load requirements.

Security: School security has changed dramatically over the past two decades and the design of WUMHS does not reflect these current security standards.

Air quality: Building-wide here is a lack of proper ventilation, air circulation and healthy air quality. Most of the classrooms have unit ventilators which are loud, inefficient, open directly to the exterior, and provide poor air distribution. This results in both poor air quality and temperature extremes, which in turn affects the ability of students to learn and faculty to teach.

ADA Complaince: The school does not meet many ADA requirements within stairways, bathrooms, water fountains, room signage, door hardware and elsewhere.

Energy efficiency: The existing building cannot be consider high performance due to its age and will never operate at the efficiencies of a modern facility. There are continuing issues with the seals of replacement windows, sills and entry doors. The existing steam heating system and circulation system is inefficient and beyond its useful life.

Vehicle circulation: At present there is not a clear, safe delineation between pedestrian and vehicular circulation onsite resulting in hazardous pedestrian conditions. The experience of arrival on site and into the school is also neither inviting nor clear. In addition, consideration should also be given to the creation of better emergency access around the facility, and improving connections to the athletic fields and river.

Athletic fields and grounds: Fields lack adequate drainage and are prone to overuse. The campus lacks a traditional football field/track combination as well as a synthetic turf field to allow for early spring outdoor sports practice.

Who is leading the plan?

High School and Middle School New Build Work Group: Raphael Adamek, Ryan Becker, Jason Drebitko, Jim Fenn, Ben Ford, Ben Jervey, Bryce Sammel, Sherry Sousa and Joe Rigoli 

Fundraising Work Group: Jason Drebitko, Katie Hamlin, Mark Harris, Jon Hussey, Ben Jervey, Dave Matz, Nicole Morgese Moore, Erika Weingarten Cupples and Jamie Ziobro 

Master Planning Team: Lavallee Brensinger Architects, Jack Rossi Landscape Architecture, Sullivan Code Group/R.W. Sullivan Engineering, FoleyBuhlRoberts & Associates Structural Engineers, Consulting Engineering Services(MEP), Colburn & Guyette Food Service Consultants New Vista Design - Educational Experience Design, Civil Engineering Associates, Watershed Consulting Associates (Stormwater Master Plan), John Turner Consulting (Geotechnical, Borings) Whiting-Turner (CM Cost Estimates)