Northwood Elementary — the first new school building constructed on Mercer Island in more than 50 years — was dedicated on Saturday at a festive open house attended by hundreds of community members.
“This building is a fitting tribute to the dedication, the wisdom and the spirit of this Island community and what they hold dear in their hearts, and that is education,” Superintendent Dr. Gary Plano said during the dedication ceremony in front of the new school. “It is education that enables our children to thrive, to grow, to learn and to create. I’m incredibly proud as your superintendent to open these doors and show the world what we have created.”
After the ribbon cutting, families toured the building, marveling at the natural light and interactive technology in the classrooms and the shared learning areas. Despite the rain, children had fun exploring the new outdoor play areas.
Northwood will be the fourth elementary school in the Mercer Island District and will open for classes when the 2016-17 school year begins Aug. 31. Aimee Batliner-Gillette is principal and Jill Ravenscraft is associate principal.
Northwood will serve about 400 students in grades Pre-K to 5. Attendance boundaries were redrawn to accommodate the school.
Mahlum Architects of Seattle designed Northwood. Bayley Construction of Mercer Island is the general contractor.
The building is 77,000 square feet and the site include 20 general-purpose classrooms, two developmental preschool classrooms, eight shared learning areas, radiant floor heating in classrooms and library, kitchen, commons, administrative and counseling areas. In addition, the gym includes a high school-sized basketball court along with volleyball, badminton and various other school sports.
Parking on the east side of the site will accomodate 67 high school students during the school day, after school use by Mary Wayte Pool and event parking for various activities on the North Mercer Complex. The site also includes a dedicated bus loop off Southeast 40th Street, parking and student loading on the west side, frontage improvements on 86th Avenue Southeast and along the south side of Southeast 40th Street restoration of the Madrone Grove at the corner of 86th Southeast and Southeast 40th Street, an 8,200-square-foot green roof and a 99.9 kilowatt-hour solar array.
Photos courtesy of Craig Degginger/Mercer Island School District.
Into the Wood
Into the Wood I bid you come.
Northwood beckons.
A forest of learning
waiting to be discovered
one tree at a time.
Artistry, history, mystery.
It is a special space
where pint-sized seekers of knowledge
will explore language and spelling,
geography and math,
social skills and fire drills and fun.
Into the Wood I bid you come
to revisit the hallways of your own childhood memories
when life seemed so elementary
(because it was)
and gifted teachers (like tour guides)
escorted you into worlds
you never knew existed
when friendships forged on playgrounds
became more than recess pals.
Into the Wood I bid you come
to look and be amazed
at workmanship that stands the test of time.
It is a forest of green materials
of steel and glass
of imaginative beauty
and creatively designed spaces
that will shelter students
for decades to come
as they pass beneath, within, around and through
in search of a continuing path that leads to enlightenment.
Into the Wood I bid you come.
Northwood beckons.
by Greg Asimakoupoulos
