The Ministry of Education commissioned architectural and engineering firm Cannon Design, in association with Cayman Islands-based OA+D architectural firm and educational consultant Fielding Nair International, to develop a prototype school facility plan for the three campuses that will feature athletic fields, track and field facilities, cricket ovals and a swimming pool — spaces not previously accessible to the communities of the Eastern districts of the Islands, according to firm officials.

 

The three islands currently have just one high school in George Town, the center of the largest island, where students from all the outlying communities travel to attend, said Rick Dewar, practice leader for K-12 education at Cannon Design.

 

John Gray High School, which has served the majority of the island’s population, consists of a university-style campus where buildings were added as the population and curriculum requirements dictated, Dewar said. 

 

Building two new campuses will address the time and cost concerns of students traveling to attend the only existing school.

 

“The unemployment rate in Cayman has historically been relatively low,” Dewar said. “Many positions in the banking and tourism industries are held by expatriate workers who have work permits, which is why it is critical that the schools adequately prepare young (Cayman Island citizens) to excel in the local work environment.”

  

In addition to classroom renovations, the expansion at John Gray High School will feature a 34,442-square-foot gym designed for international competition that can accommodate about 2,800 stadium spectators and 3,000 people for assembly.

 

“This indoor facility will be one of the first venues on the island capable of housing international Caribbean competitions in volleyball and basketball, and can also be used as a large auditorium venue for concerts and graduations,” Dewar said.

 

The campus is being renovated in partnership with the adjacent Truman Bodden Sports Complex, a government facility with a competition pool, boxing gym, soccer stadium and athletic fields. 

 

The new facilities being built on the replacement high school campus will complement those of the sports complex, Dewar said. Both the athletic facilities and planned auditorium are meant for community use, he said. Renovations are expected to be partially complete at the end of the year. 

 

After all renovations are complete, each of the three new campuses will accommodate 1,000 students, with four academies in addition to the main offices. When fully completed, each academy will hold 250 students broken up in two groups of 125 students.

 

Initially, Clifton Hunter and Buelah high schools will house 750 and 500 students, respectively.

 

“The academies are created to break the student body into smaller manageable houses, which gives the students an identity and an anchor within the larger campus,” Dewar said.

 

The Clifton Hunter Campus and the Beulah Smith Campus will have smaller gymnasiums and a 25-meter competition and training pool.

 

“The schools themselves are really bringing not only new facilities, but to the entire island distributing the resources among three districts, creating community assets and community facilities in each district,” Dewar said. 

 

Each facility will feature a global learning center that houses a library, small food facility and administrative offices.  Additionally, hurricane shelters will be built at each campus to serve the community.

 

Plans for the facilities earned Cannon Design the Learning By Design Citation of Excellence Award for new construction in 2009. 

 

“It’s a significant step forward for the students of the Cayman Islands because it begins to transform their educational delivery,” Dewar said. “It brings schooling to each one of the districts and eliminates a lot of time on a bus for kids to go to the John Gray campus. It’s a great community asset for all three ends of the islands.”

 

Clifton Hunter High School, which will serve the Eastern district, is slated for completion by the end of the year. A construction schedule for Beulah Smith High School, serving the west bay, is yet to be determined, Dewar said.