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State-of-the-Art CREC Academy of Aerospace and Engineering Building Opens in Windsor
(Windsor, CT) CREC’s Academy of Aerospace and Engineering celebrated the opening of its new, permanent home on October 6 with a ribbon cutting ceremony.
The 150,000-square-foot facility is located at 1101 Kennedy Road in Windsor and serves students in grades six through 12. Previously, middle school students attended school on Blue Hills Avenue in Bloomfield, and high school students attended school at the Learning Corridor in Hartford.
The new building opened to students on September 2, the first day of school.
“While I am excited about the building in front of us, I am immeasurably more excited about the things that our students have and will accomplish in this building,” said Principal Paul Brenton.
The award-winning interdistrict magnet school’s curriculum focuses on aerospace and engineering, and the new building includes features that reflect the theme. A zinc-clad curved “wing” contains middle school science laboratories, and a quarter-barrel roof with an exposed truffle structure at the gymnasium references the design of an airplane hangar. There’s also a pixilated image from the Hubbell Telescope at the Lagoon Nebula that wraps the exterior of the school’s auditorium in phenolic panels, and operable photovoltaic louvers are used to maximize exposure to the sun for energy collection. Overall energy usage and generation, along with water consumption, is monitored by a building management system, and the data will be displayed on televisions that will be installed throughout the school. In addition, the entrance to the school’s media center mimics NASA’s “Mission Control.”
Appropriately, Bill Barry, NASA’s chief historian, attended the October 6 ribbon cutting ceremony. “A school like this is the kind of place that made a difference for me,” Barry said. “The vibe here reminds me of my high school. I have been all over the world, and I can tell you, a place like this is not common.
“It’s good to see that the legacy of the field of aeronautics is taken seriously here in Connecticut. This is a sign to the rest of the country about how forward thinking you are about education and about the future.”
In his remarks about the new facility, CREC Executive Director Bruce E. Douglas recognized the academic accomplishments of CREC’s Academy of Aerospace and Engineering. The school was recognized by U.S. News and World Report as the No. 1 secondary school in the Connecticut, and it was ranked the 15th best secondary school in the country. It has also been consistently recognized by Magnet Schools of America.
“Great things are going to happen here for the future of America,” Douglas said. “The astronaut that sets the first foot on Mars is in this building.”
Students interested in attending the CREC Academy of Aerospace and Engineering must submit an application through the Greater Hartford Regional School Choice lottery, which opens October 15. More information about the school can found at www.crecschools.org. For lottery information, visit www.choiceeducation.org.
