Students attending Shady Side Academy’s Fox Chapel campus will soon have new classroom and lounge spaces as part of a series of improvements unveiled Tuesday by the school.
The improvements, announced as part of the academy’s vision for a comprehensive master plan, include a new 49,300-square-foot middle school and a 19,000-square-foot student commons featuring a cafeteria, event space and student lounge.
The goal is to transform the private pre-K through 12 school’s Fox Chapel location into an Upper School campus for students in grades six through 12.
“In 2024 and beyond, school spaces need to be so much more than efficient places for adults to transfer information to students,” Shady Side Academy President Bart Griffith said in a statement. “These new spaces prioritize student engagement, flexible use, and community building as design principles and will provide students with abundant opportunity to connect with teachers and classmates — both indoors and outdoors.”
The proposed projects will use funds from a $15 million personal commitment made in October 2022 by alumnus and past parent S. Kent Rockwell and his partner, Pat Babyak.
The donation, the largest one received by the academy in its 140-year history, was given to support capital projects included in the campus master plan.
“After seeing all of the good things happening at Shady Side and learning more about the vision for the campus master plan, we were enthusiastic about the opportunity to make a meaningful commitment,” Mr. Rockwell said in the statement.
Now, the Rockwell Middle School, named for Mr. Rockwell, will feature natural lighting, solar panels and energy-efficient systems. The school is designed to have collaborative spaces and interdisciplinary instruction through learning arenas, multifunctional spaces and adaptable classrooms. It will also feature a library and dining hall aimed at fostering a “vibrant community spirit,” a news release reads.
The Rockwell Student Commons will feature a dining and event space, student lounge and other amenities to “cultivate community relationships.” And the space, which officials said resembles a college-like commons, will have indoor and outdoor collaborative areas and a renovated school store.
And the campus transformation, officials said, will include renovating sections of Bayard and Croft Houses for additional classroom and teacher workspaces along with a new West Gate entrance and access road off Riding Meadow Road.
“Each of these spaces is meant to elevate the faculty so they have the requisite stage to bring their crafts to light,” Robert Mullin, chair of the board of trustees, said in the statement. “We build buildings and make changes to campuses to honor the faculty and ensure they have the physical resources they need now and in the future.”
The projects will build upon the academy’s latest series of campus improvements such as converting Memorial Hall into a Class of 1966 Memorial Hall Library and constructing the Gene Deal Fields, an outdoor sports complex featuring an artificial turf field lined for lacrosse, soccer, baseball, softball and field hockey.
And they follow a campus planning process that began in 2020 when academy leaders partnered with architecture and campus planning first Strada Design and DMZ Planning to create a multi-year design process for the middle and senior schools.
“Students in grades 6 through 12,” Mr. Griffith said, “will have access to a range of campus facilities, resources, and peer leadership opportunities unparalleled in Western Pennsylvania.”
First Published: February 13, 2024, 5:13 p.m.
Updated: February 14, 2024, 3:56 p.m.
