Spring Branch ISD Featured News

A lot of “wows” and “this is awesome” remarks were heard recently in the halls of Bunker Hill Elementary in Spring Branch ISD (SBISD).

A delegation from Temple ISD (TISD) visited Bunker Hill Elementary to explore the latest innovations in school design by Stantec Architects. Superintendent Dr. Bobby Ott, school board members, and associate superintendents from TISD toured the campus as they considered whether to call for a bond election to build new schools in their district.

The architectural firm provided the TISD team with several examples of schools they had designed in the Houston area. To narrow down their visit itinerary, the school board ranked each recommendation in advance, and Bunker Hill Elementary made the cut.

On the day of their trip from Temple, Texas, the TISD group first visited a school in Willis before heading farther south to Bunker Hill Elementary. Both schools were designed by Stantec Architects, who participated in the delegation’s field trip.

Design Features That Work for the School and Community

The newly rebuilt Bunker Hill Elementary opened to students and staff in August 2022 as part of the 2017 bond program. The visitors from Temple, along with Stantec representatives, were hosted on the tour by Spring Branch ISD Associate Superintendent for Operations Travis Stanford.

Stanford and Stantec leaders pointed out several design features that enhance the school’s functionality for staff and students, including special considerations for the ingress and egress of buses, parent drive, and even bike riders. Stanford noted that with each new school, architects refine design elements based on lessons learned from previous projects.

During the planning phases for Bunker Hill, Stanford recalled, the principal was surprised to learn that every classroom would have its own active panel and sink and that each grade-level wing would have its own restrooms.

Members of the TISD delegation were particularly impressed with several design aspects, including:

• Extra-secure entrance vestibules
• A meeting room with its own restroom for community gatherings
• The broadcast room used for televised morning announcements
• A cafeteria that includes a performance stage and a movable wall that opens to the gym, allowing the space to expand for larger events
• The flexibility of the classroom wings to accommodate fluctuating grade-level enrollments
• Science and art classrooms that open to the outdoors for experiments and creative projects
• A design that preserved mature trees on the property

Stanford also highlighted the school’s partnership with the Village of Bunker Hill. A new village water well and additional storm drainage were installed under the playing fields, benefiting both the community and school facilities during storms.

Our new friends from Temple ISD left Bunker Hill with much to consider as they plan for their district’s growth. The conversations on their journey back to Temple were likely filled with new ideas for their next steps. We are #SBISDProud that Bunker Hill Elementary’s excellence may inspire future schools in Temple ISD.

A Personal Connection

As a side note, Kent Boyd, TISD assistant superintendent of facilities and operations, shared a personal connection to SBISD. His mother began her teaching career at Shadow Oaks Elementary. Boyd was happy to report to her that the school remains active in the district and hoped to visit it on their way home.