Verrado High School 
Buckeye, AZ

A comprehensive high school for 1600 students, created through a process of re-evaluation of the district’s current educational model.  During this process the goal established was to have four groupings of 400 students each housing groups that would contain freshman through seniors.  The idea was to have these students stay with their community through their entire high school career.

The main concept was to have the learning spaces open onto a common central core space to allow flexibility for each class grouping, and for development of larger projects. As an added benefit it was found that this layout also encouraged interaction between teachers, and students.  Upper-class students were located at one end of each community, along with a science lab.  With a teacher work area, and conference/breakout room partially separating the lower classes. This organizational model has proven to be very effective at uniting both students, and faculty. 

Paul Winslow, FAIA, was the architect of record and worked closely with the district Superintendent and the Curriculum Team to create a new model for teaching and learning. He also led the programming process, the design, and oversaw the construction administration while working at Orcutt/Winslow.

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The Kamehameha Middle School Educational and Planning staff, spent a week touring the school and interacting with the students and the faculty to learn how the open concept school could be translated to their new Middle School in Hawaii, since Paul was also working with them on the educational design development.

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