Catheryn Gates
Elementary School
Roseville City School District
Roseville, California
The design of Catheryn Gates Elementary School evolved from several months of planning with a 15-member educational specification committee. The mission of the committee was to work in partnership with parents and community to provide a challenging educational environment that would support activities and programs that enhance student success. Specifically, the design must promote the school’s identity, divide academic areas into grade-level groupings and provide a focal point for the campus.
The front of the school features a large open plaza that is reminiscent of a public square--ideal for informal gatherings. A circular entry gate invites students and parents onto the campus. School buildings have pitched roofs and warm-toned stucco exteriors to blend with the surrounding community.
Between the two academic wings is the focal point of the campus—the library media center. Entrances were placed on both the east and west sides of the building allowing students from either academic wing easy access. A curved glass wall along the courtyard side of the building floods the library with natural light. Book stacks are perpendicular to the curved wall and point to the center of the room, offering the librarian clear visibility to all areas where students might gather.
Two classrooms of students can gather to study, research or view presentations in the center reading area. In addition to written resources within the library, a state of the art computer lab offers telecommunications, video and data systems to assist students with academic research. In a large exploratorium classroom adjacent to the computer lab students can work on large or even messy projects that would be difficult to complete in their classrooms. The campus combines modern technology with current teaching philosophy to provide a productive learning environment for its students.
*As the "Home of the Explorers," the educational specifications for Catheryn Gates emphasized student exploration as an important learning tool. Students "explore" their campus by moving between buildings named after the great mountains of the world. Elaborate signs, each depicting a mountain with a representative animal, guide students to their destinations.
