In May 2008, devastating earthquakes wreaked such havoc in southwest China that five million residents became homeless. Although Sichuan Province was the hardest hit, Shaanxi Province, the neighbor to the north, also suffered irreparable damage. In the city of Pao Ji, 44% of the schools were beyond repair.

Responding to urgent pleas for help, The 1990 Institute Spring Bud sponsors felt compelled to create a new beginning for thousands of innocent young victims to go back to school, by constructing a school at Pao Ji (Zhang Jia Yun Township, Jian Yan County) with the following specifications:

• Build a  new “green” magnet school to replace two condemned elementary schools.
•The school is to be built on a level 66,000 square-foot site within easy distance to the County road, it will accommodate 350 students.
• The new structure will be able to withstand Magnitude 8.0 earthquake
• The Assembly Hall will have movable partitions to facilitate instruction in art, music, student activities and performances. In the evenings and on weekends, it will become a community center for the adult population to receive training in literacy and technology, and a place for interaction between parents and teachers, villagers and officials.

 

Through the generous donations from our sponsors and pro-bono services provided by many professionals,  the school was ready for students in June of 2010!

 

The school has been written up in the May 2011 issue of the Architect magazine (published by the American Institute of Architects).  The article can be found at http://www.architectmagazine.com/business/village-green.aspx.  A video about the construction of the school can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBI2c8q_EKE .

 

Grand Opening	A classroom	A new class of students
Yard exercise	Another classroom	Courtyard
Visiting student teachers	Outside the classroom	Solar roofs

 

 5/25/11