The School of Environmental Studies is a optional two year high school in Apple Valley, Minnesota. It is located on the grounds of the Minnesota Zoo and is some times refered to as "The Zoo School". Japanese high school students in uniform High school, or Secondary school, is the last segment of compulsory education in Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan (Republic of China) (only junior high school) and the United States. ... Apple Valley is a city located in Dakota County, Minnesota, and a suburb of the Twin Cities. ... The Minnesota Zoological Gardens (almost always called the Minnesota Zoo) is a zoo in Apple Valley, Minnesota, the sister zoo of the Como Zoo and Conservatory in St. ...

History

The School of Environmental Studies opened in 1995 in the Minneapolis-St. Paul suburb of Apple Valley as a public, 400 student, 11th and 12th grade "high school of choice." Also known as the "zoo school" because of its active partnership with the Minnesota Zoo and its 12 acre (48,000 m²) site on zoo property, the school embraces project-based learning with an environmental theme. A number of students work with zookeepers and scientific staff in studying animal behavior, keeping animals active and challenged, and promoting public transit to the zoo. The Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. ...

Design

The School of Environmental Studies was designed in a manner very different from most schools. The committee charged with planning SES conducted almost two years of research before commissioning an architect. What emerged was a clear vision of the kinds of learning experiences they hoped to provide: interdisciplinary, project-based, and real-world.

Architect Bruce Jilk was commissioned to design the school and given strict budgetary parameters: the per-pupil costs to build and operate the school could not exceed those of other high schools in the district. The result: a 68,000 square foot (6,300 m²) building, completed for $5,420,000, or $80 per square foot ($860/m²).

The central building block of Jilk’s design is the student workstation (desk with bulletin board and storage area). This feature simultaneously meets two objectives: that students take on the role of workers (the workstation resembles an office cubicle) and that the learning environment promote a sense of identity (students can decorate workstations to reflect personal tastes).

Individual workstations are clustered in groups of 10, forming a “pod.” Ten pods form a “house.” The term “house” refers not only to the grouping of 100 students with three teachers but also to their common workspace: a large, flexible-use room (nearly half of one floor) with tables and partitions that can be arranged to accommodate small or large group work.

Architecturally, the “heart” of SES is a forum spanning two floors at the center of the building. Each of the school’s four houses faces it and/or the adjacent library. Another example of flexible-use space, the forum serves as cafeteria, display center, gathering place, and auditorium, depending on how tables, chairs, and partitions are configured.

Much of the building’s architecture is transparent and serves as a teaching tool. The exposure of steel beams demonstrates how architects work with gravity and the exposed ductwork shows how air moves through the building.

External links

School of Environmental Studies