Design Professionals Spotlight Evergreen High School's New Learning Spaces & Student Impact
Architecture and building industry experts toured the new Evergreen High School as part of a professional learning visit.
Evergreen Principal Joe Boyer helped welcome visitors and shared how the warm, welcoming, modern school facility is supporting students. He connected building design and improved learning conditions to lower absenteeism, increased school engagement and the way students feel about coming to school.
The tour was hosted by A4LE, the Association for Learning Environments. The group brings together architects, construction professionals, school planners and educators to learn from school design projects.
Joe described how Evergreen was designed with staff, student, family and community input. As a teacher, he was a member of the building design committee. "I remember when we were selecting windows and spaces that felt warm and inviting," he said. "That was really important for our students and Evergreen family."
“This truly is a place that our school and community see as a hub,” Joe said. “They wanted spaces where you could gather in multiple sizes and that felt right.”
That vision can be seen across the school. Large and small gathering spaces give students places to connect, work together and build community. Clear sightlines also help staff supervise students and support a safer school environment.
Joe shared that attendance is up 14%, major behavior incidents are down, and more students are joining sports, attending events and connecting with school. He also said Evergreen has 22 community partners, more than its goal of 15, and 49 parent volunteers, more than its goal of 30.
“We have a school that finally represents the awesomeness that White Center brings,” Joe said.
Ellie Daneshnia, Highline’s executive director of Capital Planning and Construction, said the school reflects years of teamwork and intentional design. She said the building is more than a school. It is a community space built for students, families and community members.
“The design was intentional behind every element,” she said. “When we design today’s schools, we build flexible learning spaces that support literacy, dual languages, STEM subjects, music, art, and hands-on career and technical education."
"But what we are really building is a sense of community and belonging in every design choice,” Ellie said.
Evergreen opened to students this school year, after years of planning, design and construction. Initial design was funded by the 2016 bond, with construction approved in the 2022 bond. The 237,200-square-foot school was designed for a capacity of 1,200 students.
It replaced the former campus while students remained in school on the same site. This allowed the project to fit the construction and budget timeline, keeping construction costs from escalating further, eliminating extra transportation and moving expenses, and reducing school disruption.
Kristian Kiciniski, principal architect with Bassetti Architects, described the architectural vision of the school building shapes fitting into the site in a way that reflects its geological history and natural setting.
The design includes two connected buildings, with shared spaces such as the gym, auditorium, library and commons on one side and the three-story classroom wing on the other. A bridge connects the two buildings. With enough buildable space in the center of the site, the design team turned a significant site challenge, a major sewer easement through campus, into a feature with rain gardens and student gathering areas.
Visitors also learned about the school’s mass timber structure, sloped metal roof, flexible theater space and strong connection to the trees and park next to campus. The wood structure brings warmth into the school and supports the natural feel of the building.
Photos
Additional photos showcasing the interior and exterior of Evergreen High School, shared by Bassetti Architects, are on the school website.