Adams Middle School preps for first students
By Anthony Tosie anthony . tosie @ nisdtx . org
My goal for the culture of Adams is to focus on collaboration and working together . – Cynthia Webber , principal
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As a principal , Cynthia Webber usually spends her time overseeing students and teachers . Without a school to call her own this year , however , she ’ s busy planning her dream team of educators and defining a campus atmosphere .
That ’ s because Mrs . Webber serves as principal of Adams Middle School , which is currently under construction near Eaton High School and Schluter Elementary School . The campus , Northwest ISD ’ s sixth middle school , is scheduled to open in August 2018 , leaving Mrs . Webber , who most recently served as principal of Haslet Elementary School , with routine checks of its construction progress and lots of planning for major and minor details alike .
With no physical building to call her own yet , Mrs . Webber ’ s office is temporarily housed at Wilson Middle School , where she ’ s becoming acquainted with the school layout and the dayto-day operations of a middle school .
The temporary home away from home actually has an added benefit : Adams makes use of a modified version of the district ’ s newest prototype design for its middle schools , most recently used to build Wilson . Some minor updates have been made to the design , such as its entrance and second-floor connections , but the overall footprint remains largely unchanged .
“ Being at Wilson is helpful as it allows me to consider different ways to implement instructional strategies in our building once we open , since we share a similar design ,” Mrs . Webber explained . “ I also get to interact with students who will attend Eaton High School , just as our school will , and get a pulse of the middle school community .”
Though the layouts of the two middle schools are similar , there is at least one noticeable update in the school ’ s athletics area .
Sarah Stewart , the district ’ s executive director of construction , said one of the unique features new to the Adams variant of the prototype design is the use of glass that dynamically changes based on sunlight exposure .
“ All the gyms in Adams Middle School feature dynamic glazing windows , which automatically tint based on the lighting conditions outside ,” she said . “ If you ’ ve been to our Outdoor Learning Center , you may have seen these in use at the Great Hall .”
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