Sherman School

DESCRIPTION
Originally a site occupied by a one-room school house constructed in 1937, the Sherman School has seen a progressive series of additions spanning the decades following its original construction, culminating in its last significant renovation in 2000. Each addition was architecturally distinct to the era in which it was built causing the facility as a whole to lack cohesion. A primary goal in the design for the Sherman School was our desire to unify existing building elements that remain as part of the facility’s comprehensive renovation project.

As important to imparting a continuity to the facility was generating a design that was sympathetic to the architectural fabric of Sherman’s historic village. Through the recladding
of portions of the existing facility, the use of masonry stain to unify dissimilar brick veneers, a new addition with a simple gabled form, and the introduction of high-performance
glazing throughout; our renovation provides a contemporary expression inspired by the best examples of Sherman’s mid-19th century structures.

FEATURES
The Sherman School remains the only school within the Town of Sherman. It accommodates a Pre-K program through 8th grade. Students from Sherman have the option to continue onto one of several cooperative high schools within adjacent districts. Three separate demographic studies were prepared for Sherman to establish the program for the renovation project. These studies revealed that Sherman’s student population supported one- and one-half classrooms with an average population of 20 students each and 24 students maximum. Acknowledging the impracticality of maintaining half-classrooms for each grade, Sherman structured the program around two full classrooms per grade. This afforded flexibility, should a particular grade
experience a population increase, but also introduced a inherent challenge in meeting the State’s Space Standard.