The Mercer Island School District, school board members, students, and families celebrated the completion of a new Islander Middle School building with a Dedication and Open House on Saturday, October 1st.

Similar to Northwood Elementary, the new middle school facility features modern educational spaces that embrace a “flexible learning cluster” concept. The building includes a new commons, gym, library, administration offices, music classrooms, and two classroom clusters. Floor-to-ceiling windows stream in natural light and look out to rooftop gardens and newly planted landscaping.

In the event program, the Mercer Island School District shared the following design goals for the facility:

The new Islander Middle School will support a variety of teaching models. The design embraces the concept of a flexible learning cluster as a physical manifestation of the teaching ideals of Islander’s teachers. Clustering classrooms together supports a variety of activities, teaching styles, and learning styles, and allows for interaction across and between classes. Each cluster has at its center a flexible learning support space, acting as the glue that keeps the surrounding classrooms together – in much the same way that the school Commons is thought of as the heart of the school.

The facility was funded through a $98.8 million bond, approved by the Mercer Island community in February 2014, which also paid for the construction of Northwood Elementary school and 10 new classrooms at the Mercer Island High School.

The district anticipates a second phase of construction (not yet funded) to renovate the existing middle school buildings.











Visit Islander Middle School’s website at:  www.mercerislandschools.org/ims