Giving together to inspire purposeful futures
To stay at the forefront of education, Pacific Ridge School must equip students with the skills and mindset to help them face the novel challenges of the future. The Power of Us campaign directly supports the construction of our new Innovation Center & Library: a flexible space for students to come together, collaborate, experiment, and explore interests amidst maker spaces, a library and research center, technology labs, creative studios, and more.
Innovation Center Milestones
Thanks to all of our generous donors, we surpassed our final fundraising goal of $11.2 million to complete the new Innovation Center and Library. Now it is time to celebrate the Power of Us and cut the ribbon on this state of the art facility in early February.
$500K
Conceptual Planning
$1.5M
Architectural Planning
$10.5M
Break Ground
$11.2M
Ribbon Cutting
Library
The new 4,300 square-foot library, study areas, and atrium lounge provide modern learning spaces where students can acquire knowledge and put their learning into practice with close proximity to design spaces and science labs.
Our current library resides in the last temporary structure from the school’s opening in 2007. The new library will live in the heart of campus, where both middle and upper school students can utilize its spaces for research, collaborative work, and quiet study. Co-housing the library with labs and maker spaces will encourage interactions of ideas, disciplines and perspectives.
Advanced Biotech Lab
The new 1,000 square-foot, biotech lab will enable students to study advanced science and conduct extended-duration experiments, gaining experience in molecular biology, genomics, and ecological studies.
The biotech lab will be outfitted with a DNA sequencer, PCR machine, centrifuge, computers, and other high-level equipment. There will also be specialized software to help students with projects involving DNA sequencing, measuring gene expression, or studying genetic differences in populations, to name just a few examples. Teachers will be able to incorporate additional projects into their curricula and develop new courses that are not possible without these resources.
Robotics & Maker Space
The new 1,300 square-foot, laboratory and augmented maker space will allow students to explore their interests, practice creative problem-solving, and prepare to engage in our evolving world.
The new Maker Space’s proximity to the existing Design and Fabrication Studio and its indoor/outdoor workspaces will create a generous, multi-use area accessible to students working on creative projects of all kinds. Our robotics program currently uses a middle school science lab that does not fully meet its needs and does not showcase the great work of our robotics students. The new facility will provide ample dedicated space for this robust and growing program.
Technology & Electronics Lab
The new 650 square-foot lab will bring students to the cutting edge of technology, with 3-D printers, a CNC mill machine, a large format laser cutter, and electronics soldering and table machinery.
The electronics lab will support projects from building computers and circuit boards to laser cut artwork. The lab will provide space and equipment for computer science courses and potentially include computers that can process big data. Moving sensitive equipment, such as our 3D printers and laser cutter, from the existing, all-purpose Fabrication Studio to the Technology and Electronics Lab will provide a clean environment, extending the use of this and future equipment.
Student Support Center
A suite of rooms in the upper floor of the Innovation Center will create a permanent home for the Learning Center, which supports students who benefit from additional academic resources, and all our students through the academic and social-emotional programming offered by our Student Support Team.
The current Learning Center is located inside the temporary library building. The facilities do not allow for quiet testing and the kind of one-on-one conversations in which our student support team specializes. The new Student Support Center will be utilized by students who currently take advantage of the Learning Center and anyone who benefits from our academic, social-emotional and wellness programming. The center will offer quiet spaces for individual testing, as well as areas for required and “opt-in” workshops, individual meetings, parent education, teacher/staff development, and open office hours.