Forest Middle School
Bedford County’s Forest Middle School expansion increases capacity to 1,200 students with a new addition featuring a secure entrance, competition gymnasium, additional arts, media spaces, and, most importantly, transformational learning environments for 6th, 7th, and 8th graders.
Client
Bedford County Public Schools
Architect
VMDO Architects
Location
Forest, VA
Scope
Wayfinding, Signage, Environmental Graphics
Local Landscapes
A comprehensive signage and graphics package pairs photography of local landscapes taken by a Forest Middle School teacher with words, prompts, and questions that express the values and mission of the school. A mural map near the school's new entry highlights key geographic features of the nearby Shenandoah Valley and Blue Ridge Mountains – celebrating the beauty of the local surroundings while creating a welcoming entrance.
Learning Made Visible
Within the expanded school, learning is made visible – engaging students and enhancing a sense of community among faculty, staff, and students. Differently-sized learning studios, seminar spaces, huddle rooms, and study booths complement classrooms and support student passions, while also empowering CTE and STEM project work with places that inspire creation and collaboration.
In the existing building, a reinvigorated central spine clarifies circulation and reinforces Bedford County’s “focus on learners” by transforming scattered classrooms into a learner-centered, central commons that offers intentional spaces for community gathering.
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