The historic 1810 Augustine Munson House, which was moved from its original site in 1992, became the theme for Welsh Hills School, built in 1996. Through the main entrance and inside to the vestibule and lobby, visitors, students, and teachers re-enter a time when honest craftsmanship and local woods created a warm and homey environment.
Classrooms extend from living rooms with each classroom having an easy exit to the outdoors. Large round or rectangular tables, and simple chairs and stools provide the setting for cooperative learning. The Schoolroom in the Children's House takes advantage of its spaciousness and creates an inviting hands-on Montessori environment with the many fascinating pieces of Montessori learning materials that make up their curriculum. The Primary, Intermediate and Middle School areas complement the fully integrated program for which Welsh Hills School is known.
A central Music Room opens to the Great Room and enhances the larger room's multipurpose ability. When productions are held in the School, doors will open the Music Room to the Great Room. Opening the other side through large window doors, the Music Room becomes part of the School's garden for the possibility of special outdoor performances on warm Spring evenings.
The Art and Science areas share a common wall and venting cupola for the firing of Welsh Hills' ceramic kiln and exhaust fans common to a science room. A generous space outside opens the Great Room for displays of student work. Both rooms also have their own outside exit for art and science study in the outdoors. Outdoor spaces are both charming and practical. Playgrounds are age appropriate and filled with a variety of safe and interesting play spaces. A soccer field on the twelve-acre site provides the running space for children who are testing their coordination and developing their skills. The School's Long Range Strategic Plan calls for the construction of an indoor physical education space.
A warmth, charm, and sense of the past are strong features of the Welsh Hills Schoolhouse. Those who enter will feel this School is as unique in style as it is in spirit. |