Building The Bengal Legacy at Braswell High School
Little Elm, TX - On March 8th, VLK Architects attended a dedication ceremony commemorating the opening of Ray Braswell High School, Denton ISD's first high school outside of the Denton city limits. Students, staff, state and district officials, school board members, community leaders joined the school's namesake, Dr. Ray Braswell, and his family in celebrating the occasion.
Guests were welcomed by members of the Braswell drill team, the Royals, and cheerleaders. Tours of the building were led by student ambassadors and members of the VLK Architects design team.
Denton ISD has met the rapid growth in the northeast quadrant of their district over the last decade with the introduction of a middle school and new elementary schools. The only piece missing was a high school to call their own.
"Braswell High School is the anchor for this portion of the Denton ISD community," said Leesa Vardeman, VLK Architects Partner. "This high school is poised to do more than just serve a community; it will create culture of excellence that ties the Braswell zone neighborhoods, families, students, and local businesses together through education. It is a great win for everyone."
Inspired by the four C's of learning: communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking, VLK Architects designed Braswell High School to accommodate and engage different learning styles. The building is broken down into small communities or houses, and each contains its own collaborative learning areas, glass huddle rooms, writable wall surfaces, and digital displays.
Common areas contain flexible learning spaces with direct access to 'educational courtyards' which are designed with collaboration at their core. In addition to several other contemporary design features, Braswell High School has a robust wireless network driving students and teachers to have information at their fingertips.
Building the Bengal legacy is not something the community takes lightly. The school needed a name that encompasses what building a legacy means. After 33 years with Denton ISD, 14 of those as superintendent, Dr. Ray Braswell retired, leaving an everlasting mark in the community as a leader who brought different communities together through the growth of educational opportunities for students.
"If each student has half of the honesty, integrity, and genuineness of Ray Braswell, the school will be a great place," said Dr. Jamie Wilson, Denton ISD Superintendent. "Braswell High School sets the new standard for collaborative learning and critical thinking. Denton ISD students will be far-and-away much better prepared for post-secondary education and the workforce due to the hard work of our teachers and staff facilitated by this amazing campus."