Award of Merit K-12 Education: Worcester South High Community School
This 360,000-sq-ft high school replaces one built in the 1970s. The new building includes state-of-the-art facilities to augment vocational education programs such as diesel technology and culinary arts that will help students get jobs after graduation.
Designers created academic areas that support multiple, changing approaches to teaching, including fully integrated special education spaces; flexible common areas for project-based learning or small group instruction; and the integration of technology to provide a modern, flexible and accessible learning environment. Besides accommodating classrooms and academic spaces, the building was designed for community services such as the student-run nonprofit Andy’s Attic, which provides clothing to students, as well as a food pantry, day-care center and a medical clinic.