Tim Wood
H+B Projects I've Worked On:
Tim Wood is the Senior Faculty member at The College School and received his undergraduate degree in Education from the University of Missouri & a Masters in Teaching from Webster University. During his early years at The College School, Tim served as a middle-level Science Teacher. He taught Field Ecology for over 20 years and became the school’s Sustainability Coordinator in 2005. The College School was recognized as a U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon School due to its long-term efforts in Sustainability.
For the past 10 years, Tim has worked primarily in the school’s greenhouse and gardens- where he has worked with students in Pre-K through 9th grade. He is also the Site Manager for the College School’s Labarque Campus, a 28-acre site dedicated to environmental studies and sustainability-related education. Tim has led a program of environmental restoration and development on this site by removing invasive species, planting native trees, shrubs, and forbs. The school’s Labarque Campus has 7 natural communities and is located at the center of one of Missouri’s most pristine watersheds.
The College School took on the challenge of building a learning center which reflected their commitment to environmentalism and sustainability, as demonstrated when they chose to build the Jan Phillips Learning Center to the Living Building Challenge standards. The learning center serves as an outpost for the school and is a resource to the community at-large. Tim works with a team of experts to continually develop native plantings and expand permaculture food sources. Agricultural efforts include harvesting native fruits and nuts with students, making maple syrup, and developing a woodworking program that utilizes fallen trees by crafting them into furniture and various student projects.
The College School has over 50 years experience in leading area schools in Experiential and Outdoor Education. It has an equally long history of teaching students about the world around them through Place-Based Education. The school was recognized as one of the first Green Ribbon Schools in the nation and it has continued to be a leader in sustainability with the work at its Labarque Campus including the creation of the Jan Phillips Learning Center.
The College School community has a shared culture which helps students become citizen-scientists while developing an appreciation of the need to care for the environment. Students learn throughout their years about the importance of being good stewards of the world in which they live.
“The Living Building Challenge was a Challenge with a capital C. Our school rose to that challenge by working with a committed team, which Hellmuth+Bicknese Architects was a key part of. We choose the H+B team because of their experience with The Living Building Challenge. They helped us integrate sustainable design features into the Jan Phillips Learning Center to create a viable teaching tool, which is also a valuable community resource. They brought a high level of expertise to the project and a deep commitment to sustainability- which has continued well past the construction phase of the project.” - Tim Wood