In a novel, yet seemingly intuitive partnership between school and library officials, as well as community leaders in Spokane, WA, a “campus” of shared education and support services for the impoverished Hillyard neighborhood was developed. This model serves as an unprecedented approach to leveraging resources and community dollars to educate students and support their families. This session will explore the partnership between multiple stakeholders and their vision of reimagining what educational support looks like for underserved communities. The new Shaw Middle School, new Hillyard Library, a new alternative high school, an existing alternative high school, and an existing community center were thoughtfully knit together to form a campus of services for the historically disadvantaged community. Extensive community engagement efforts resulted in the design for revitalization of a large section of this neighborhood creating a sense of place and inherent pride. Shaw Middle School and the public library are structurally connected to one another supporting the sharing of amenities. The alternative high schools are located across a shared courtyard with a system of walkways connecting the shared resource access points between the buildings. The existing community center, located across the street from Shaw Middle school and new public library, was underutilized due to the high volume of traffic along the arterial. As part of this project the city awarded a traffic calming grant to enhance safe pedestrian access between the school, library, and community center. The center provides early child learning, after school programs, medical, dental, family counselling, and financial assistance programs to families in need, further enhancing the campus network of support. Through these efforts, the school and library districts, the city and community members were brought together in a revolutionary way to create better education and potentially a better way of life for the students and their families.

Learning Objectives:

1. How to successfully create and maintain collaborative partnerships between community stakeholders to achieve a common goal intended to elevate a community’s youth.
2. Community engagement techniques to determine a common vision for area revitalization to benefit students, their families, and their communities.
3. How to determine which environments and places support personal and collaborative learning while providing whole-child and family support.
4. How to create a vibrant design that builds school and community pride, belonging, and inclusion to encourage personal and community growth.