Levy Middle School

Ruth W. & Milton P. Levy began a legacy of generous giving to Greenhill that has spanned over five decades, but it was their first gift to the School that began a true transformation. In the Fall of 1973, Greenhill witnessed the exciting opening of the new Levy Middle School building to house grades five through eight. If ever a building reflected the design features of a decade, this was it. After years of study and design, Pratt, Box & Henderson, Architects/Planning delivered precisely the atmosphere the Fultons and Foote had envisioned. A cavernous, open building, the structure meandered northward from the carpool circle without a single interior wall, excluding bathrooms and closets. Each grade level was centered around a “pod” idea to facilitate Foote’s plan for team teaching, which he introduced at Wednesday evening faculty meetings throughout the year. For over 20 years, Middle School students used to be housed in the current Fine Arts Building. However - those plans changed during a Board meeting when a new Fine Arts Facility was being discussed when the topic turned to how the Middle School had become overcrowded. A light bulb went off in the room, and instead of discussing a campaign for a new Fine Arts Facility, the group began to explore a new Middle School while renovating the current facility for Fine Arts. In a matter of a few hours, Greenhill's campus would once again be transformed, and the Reaching for the Stars Campaign would be born. One aspect of the Reaching for the Stars Campaign would be the construction of a new Middle School building to house a total of 360 students in grades five through eight, and to support the full range of teaching and learning styles appropriate for Middle SChool students. Replacing the 20-year-old Levy Middle school, which was built for 250 students and open-classroom teaching, this new facility would retain Greenhill’s characteristic open and accessible ambiance while providing closed classroom spaces to encourage discussion, role-playing, and cooperative learning, among other essential educational activities. It also would provide a central gathering space for the entire Middle School population, and at the same time provide for the separation of the various age and developmental levels into their own special spaces. The Levy family once again displayed their generosity and appreciation for Greenhill by donating the money for the naming rights of the Middle School. In September 1995, Greenhill took another step in its evolution as the School opened the new Levy Middle School, the Three Chimneys Administration Building as well as the renovated Fine Arts Building. Thanks to the brilliant collaboration of Lake/Flato Architects and faculty members, the Levy Middle School currently houses students in grades five through eight where each grade level has its own spoke-wing branching out from a central hub, which is the current Middle School Rotunda.