Madeira School

The new STEAM Center will help foster the school’s vision to lead innovation in girls’ education, with the goal to enhance student learning and to foster creativity through hands-on, experiential, project-based learning.

The three-story Science Technology Engineering Art Mathematics (STEAM) Center will provide an interdisciplinary teaching and learning space for cross-departmental collaboration between science, math and arts, which are currently located in five buildings. With an eye toward the future, the center will be flexible and adaptable to meet ever-changing pedagogical goals.

The new STEAM Center is to be built in three phases:

• Phase One – greenhouse, biology, environment, physics, chemistry labs, shared prep spaces and a research lab
• Phase Two – faculty offices, painting, drawing, dance and group study rooms
• Phase Three – an art gallery, a catering / teaching kitchen, fabrication lab, robotics, ceramics, sculpture, maker space, digital media studio and math spaces

Project goals include integrating sustainability into the curriculum and building to provide a full spectrum of environmental responsibility. The center also provides space for science on display to both showcase student work and promote learning throughout the building.

The educators recognize the value of out-of-classroom learning and opportunities for independent inquiry and projects was a priority.

The Madeira School is an independent boarding and day college-preparatory school for girls, grades 9-12, near Washington, D.C.