West Springfield High School

The City of West Springfield needed help: Its aging high school was no longer capable of serving the needs of students or the community. Assistance came in the form of acceptance into the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ “Model School Program,” created to save costs for communities and the state by adopting a pre-established physical high school model.

A 275,500 square foot facility for 1,340 students, the new West Springfield High School (WSHS) provide a unique physical building to enhance student-directed learning and to allow staff and students to connect across a broad curricula. Driven by the principles of the state program, the design goes big on flexible learning spaces and multi-use facilities that can be enjoyed by students and community members alike.

The new WSHS features a welcoming curved courtyard.

This design feature was inspired by the school district’s wish for a building that physically opens itself to the broader community that it supports.

Inside, the educational design is built around eight neighborhood “clusters” serving Humanities, STEM, Fine & Performing Arts, and a Freshman Academy. Each cluster is centered around a large group instruction area—a one- or two-story flexible space that allows for cross-disciplinary teaching, project-based learning programs, and multi-media instruction.

WSHS is SMMA’s second model high school after the national-award-winning Hudson High School.

The curved library and learning commons sits above and overlooks the main dining commons at the front of the school.

Drum-shape corridor walls double as a fine arts gallery, displaying student work.

WSHS is home to an Alternative High School Program (AHS).

The program serves high-risk students faced with social or emotional difficulties. These students use a separate but visible entrance and benefit from their own commons, with a kitchenette, toilets, and a small group area for counselor and parent meetings. The space also has an innovative special needs program through which students maintain a food lab and restaurant that doubles as a staff dining area.

The 700-seat performing arts theater and nearby 250-seat mini-theater offer flexibility for lectures and group performances for students and the public.

The new school boasts public-facing fitness and athletics spaces.

These include a new community swimming pool with a dedicated entrance lobby, a new three-station gym with an overhead walking track, a fitness center, and multi-purpose dance spaces. The facilities are available to the community after school hours.

Other facilities include a new elevated exercise track and field, home to the school’s beloved Terriers.

By strategically locating the school into the steep hillside behind the existing building, the design protects and enhances the natural wetlands to the sides and front of the site. The building itself meets Massachusetts’s Green School requirements and achieves LEED for Schools certification.