By the time children now in Lower School reach the Upper School, they may be studying on a campus very different from the one they attend today. Instead of crowding into the chapel for concerts, they will perform for parents and friends in an acoustically pleasing auditorium. They will take dance classes in a studio in the revamped gymnasium, and two basketball teams will practice on full courts at the same time.

Future students in the Beginning School will work on projects in an additional multipurpose room, and Lower School students will study science in a lab dedicated to that purpose. Students will move about on a pedestrian-friendly campus where traffic is restricted to the perimeter.

Because the major construction projects will temporarily eliminate some parking space, the Loop Road was the first piece of the plan to be tackled. Funds were raised through the special appeal at the 2007 auction to construct the road skirting the east side of the practice field bordering Montclair Elementary School. The road leads to a new parking area behind the gym. During dropoff in the morning and pickup in the afternoon, traffic loops around the athletic field and back onto Nicol Road. At other times, vehicles exit the lot the way they came in, via Vermont Avenue.

The improvements that will follow the road project are outlined in the new campus Master Plan (see map). Based on hundreds of hours of study and discussions during the strategic planning process, the Master Plan provides a broad and coherent vision for the future that will guide the Board of Trustees as it prioritizes improvements and undertakes fund-raising campaigns. Because the Master Plan already has been approved by the county, it will streamline the permitting process for each planned improvement.

The largest piece in the plan is a performing arts center that will include an auditorium as well as a black box theater for drama classes and small productions. Facilities Management Director Jon von Behren said the new building will address a glaring need on the campus.

“That building will provide an excellent performance space, which we simply don’t have now,” he said. “The stage in the auditorium will allow sets for plays to be constructed onsite, and students will be able to develop skills working with much more sophisticated technical lighting and sound gear. The building also is envisioned to include acoustically appropriate band and choral rooms as well as individual practice rooms.”

In the Beginning School, the plan calls for two multipurpose rooms instead of the single common hall that now exists and is used as a dining area for several hours a day. The new space will be used for recess on rainy days, for rehearsals, and for additional Extended Care space. A music room, a project room, and conference rooms also will be included. Lower School plans call for dedicated space for science classes, computers, and offices, freeing up the existing common areas for students to work on projects.

The Master Plan also calls for a significant expansion of the gymnasium that will allow for two full basketball courts and far better weight and training facilities. Besides allowing addition of dance classes to the physical education program, a new dance studio will provide space for aerobics and martial arts. A classroom for Beginning School P.E. will permit a wider variety of activities and games for younger children. Plans for the gym will also increase the size of locker rooms and vastly improve spectator amenities by expanding the bleachers and creating a generous lobby, a dedicated concessions area, and new public restrooms. Outside facilities for spectators at the varsity field also will be enhanced.

The residence halls will be renovated and expanded under the new Master Plan. Better heating, lighting, and sound insulation will create more comfortable student rooms that will be more conducive to studying and sleeping. A larger space for group activities will be created, as well as more diverse spaces for studying, cooking, and small-group activities. Security will be improved with single, convenient, easily-supervised entries to boys and girls dorms.

While the Master Plan seems like an ambitious proposal, it is really the second half of an endeavor that began several years ago with the construction of the Math, Science, and Technology Building and the renovation of the Upper School. The current construction of the Middle School addition and the new bus barn on Vermont Road are the final pieces of this first phase. The coming Loop Road will pave the way to an enhanced campus for a school that is preparing to carry out its mission throughout the century and beyond.