The Physical Design of the School

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 VGV’s Main Campus is comprised of five distinct reimagined physical learning spaces: nine classrooms, two large learning centers, an Academic Support Center, a STEM/STEAM Lab, and the “Garage”:

• Classrooms: are designed to seat a maximum of 16 students with a 100% unobstructed view of all students by teachers. And, all students have a 100% unobstructed view of all technology (i.e., whiteboard, projector screen, TV). The ceiling mounting of projectors allows the elimination of projector carts that take up valuable floor space and often require power cords stretched across the classroom floor—a safety hazard. Electrical outlets have been strategically located along walls to facilitate the hard-wiring of classroom Chromebooks for continuous charging. This eliminates the often forgetting of plugging in Chromebooks in charging carts after use. Additionally, the charging carts can be eliminated thereby freeing up valuable floor space. Every classroom is outfitted with top quality student tables and seating. The tabletop sizes utilized provide 5 to 6 square feet of tabletop working surface area per student. This allows each student ample space for their Chromebook, a workbook, and more importantly comfortable space for taking notes and other writing tasks. The positioning of the classroom furniture is specifically designed to provide wide spacing between student tables and accessibility to whiteboard(s) by teachers and students. Teachers are encouraged to decorate their classrooms but must use pushpins, nails or metal picture hanging products. Any method of hanging items that involves adhesives such as 2 scotch tape, masking tape, glue sticks, etc., are prohibited in order to protect the integrity of wall surfaces.

• Learning Centers (LCs): are large learning spaces that house individual partitioned student workstations. The school has two Learning Centers named LCA and LCB. Each LC is configured with 32 workstations. Each student workstation includes a computer monitor, keyboard, mouse, and a small box that provides wireless connectivity with the school’s server. Students provide their own headphones. Dual 65-inch TVs are ceiling mounted in the center of the room, splitting the room in two with each TV facing opposite directions from the center. Students on opposite sides of the TVs face toward the TVs at the center of the room making the center of the room the main teacher position. However, teachers move around the LC as a best practice.

• Academic Support Center (ASC): This large learning space is dedicated to supporting the school’s special populations (e.g. IEPs, MLLs). The room is outfitted with two collaboration tables for small group work and used for IEP meetings with parents. The ASC is the home base for the special education teachers when they are not “pushing-in” the classrooms. The Director of Special Populations has an office within the ASC.

• STEM/STEAM Lab: During the late spring of 2022, VGV acquired the commercial space vacated by the “U-Melt” Restaurant on Weybosset Street. The restaurant space just happened to be located between our Learning Center B and our two new science classrooms—ideal space for creating a “state-of-the-art” STEM/STEAM Lab. Specifically, this learning space is divided into two sections. One section, the STEM Lab (STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) is primarily used by the science teachers for hands-on wet and dry labs—teacher led activities that span areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Previous to 2022, VGV science labs were mostly virtual labs delivered through the school’s Edgenuity e-curriculum online platform. The Lab is outfitted with a high-end Instructor’s demonstration table with an integrally plumbed faucet and sink. The table also includes an electrical outlet. Five high-end student tables are arranged in a “U” shape around the demonstration table. A camera is used to record lab experiments and live experiments are displayed on two 55-inch TVs wall-mounted behind the demonstration table for efficient student viewing. The Lab also includes an eyewash and first-aid area; and a secured 50 square foot walk-in storage closet for science equipment and supplies. STEAM (STEAM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics). It’s STEM + Art. This area is in essence a “makerspace.” The area includes 3-D printers; computers for programming and research; and equipment for printing T-shirts/garments and other items; and, other equipment for prototyping student ideas. The STEAM Lab will focus on the “career” portion of “college and career readiness” wherein students get hands-on opportunities to take creative ideas from a thought to an actual product.

• The “Garage,” is the affectionate name given to VGV’s original makerspace created in 2017 for student-centered project-based learning (PBL) through afterschool clubs. Working alone or collaborating with peers, students learn how to: design, build, and program drones and autonomous vehicles; use CAD software to design and produce parts using 3-D printers; coding to program Arduino and similar microcontrollers for real-world applications; build and troubleshoot computers; and use green screen technology to create videos.

• VGV’s Rhody Campus — Rhode Island’s first “Autonomous Micro-School” — is located in an adjacent building to the Main Campus and opened in 2017. This large learning space serves as the VGV senior student campus. There are no partitioned workstations or assigned seating. Designed as a “Starbucks-like or Panera Bread” café-type environment, with open seating, students work on Chromebooks or laptops and are able to self-pace completion of their program of study, as well as the ability to leave the school to take college courses on a nearby college campus earning college credits while still in high school. The Rhody Campus also includes a small classroom, two offices, two restrooms, and a small dining area.