New Farmington High Offers Innovation Learning, Safety Features
Jul 12, 2018, 7:44 PM | Updated: 9:36 pm
FARMINGTON, Utah – The brand-new Farmington High School opened to the public Thursday night, giving parents, students and the community the chance to see the building up close before the start of school.
School administrators it will offer high-tech, innovative learning tools unlike any other school in the state.
Principal Richard Swanson explains to the media Thursday, how students from different schools will unify as ‘The Phoenix,” the school’s mascot.
Principal Richard Swanson said the 405,000 square foot facility will offer innovative ways for students to learn.
“Everything has been purposeful – from the design, to the way it’s been laid out, to the way that we’ll utilize the building with our staff and with our students.” Swanson said.
Instead of the traditional classroom setting, each teacher will have an office and will be able to use different learning suites of varying sizes, depending on the need for each specific class.
Just outside, groups of six to eight suites are collaborative learning areas, furnished with couches, tables and chairs. Rather than desks, interchangeable tables can be moved around as needed, and their surfaces can be used as dry erase boards.
PHOTOS: See more picture of Farmington High School from our news partners at the Deseret News.
“This is the first fully comprehensive school in the state of Utah that we’re aware of that’s moving in this pace, in this way,” Swanson said.
A collaborative learning area, outside several learning suites, inside Farmington High School.
Jeanne Jackson, a principal architect with VCBO Architecture, said the building was designed to last a minimum of 75 years, and will eventually be powered completely by solar panels. Wi-Fi will span the whole campus, allowing for up to five devices per person, in anticipation of new technology in the future.
“This school is totally different,” Jackson said. “It’s designed with the learner in mind. It’s designed to accommodate the new ideas and learning, including collaboration (and) teaching people how to work together.”
Farmington High School (Image courtesy Deseret News)
The school also has several security advances. Students and staff will wear lanyards with security cards that they’ll use to check in. The campus has around 200 surveillance cameras.
Students involved in extracurricular activities were already busy at work at the campus Thursday. Madison Wolf, a senior, coming from Davis High School was on the track, leading the new marching band, where she serves as drum major.
Madison Wolf (front) instructs the marching band on the school track Thursday afternoon.
“I loved the idea of an opportunity to create a program that was really focused on cores I believed in and shared with the director,” Wolf said. “I love the facility. I love how well everything is put together.”
The band was preparing for their first chance to represent the school in the public. They’ll perform in Farmington city’s parade over the weekend.
“They’ve been working really hard, and I think it will be great for them to be out there,” Wolf said.
