Insight: Building 6 – Where Sustainability Meets Discovery

By Dr. Krissy Russell, Science Faculty

As I write this, I can hear the gentle sound of Cochran Springs flowing just outside Building 6’s windows—a perfect soundtrack for what has become our newest learning space this year. If you’ve driven by recently, you might have noticed students with muddy boots trooping in and out, arms full of sampling equipment, phones tucked safely away in the entry basket. Welcome to what we’re calling “The Sustainability Center,” though I’ll be honest—that name is more aspiration than achievement at this point. And that’s exactly the spirit we’re embracing.

This year’s theme, “Kindness Through Clarity,” couldn’t be more fitting for Building 6. We’re offering our community clarity about this space by sharing its evolution in real time, and there’s something beautifully kind about letting a building grow into its purpose alongside our students’ learning.

The west half of Building 6 has been transformed into something wonderfully unconventional. When you walk through the door, the first thing you’ll likely encounter is our impressive ten-foot line of boots—ready for creek exploration. This isn’t your typical pristine classroom, and that’s entirely the point. EPS made the thoughtful decision to renovate minimally, keeping environmental impact low. The result? A space that’s authentically rustic, complete with sealed floor cracks that tell the story of the building’s past life. This “lived-in” quality makes Building 6 the perfect home for our Environmental Practices (7th grade) and Environmental Science (11th and 12th grade) classes. Here, nets, buckets, quadrats, flags, and measuring tape can live without apology. When students return from sampling water quality in Cochran Springs or conducting biodiversity surveys, they don’t have to worry about tracking creek mud through a spotless hallway.

Perhaps the most magical aspect of Building 6 is how seamlessly it connects indoor and outdoor learning. Our rustic outdoor classroom—complete with tree stumps for seating—sits directly across from the creek we’ve been restoring in partnership with King County. Students can transition from analyzing water samples in our small lab space to observing aquatic ecosystems in their natural habitat within minutes. The breakout rooms offer creek views that serve as constant reminders of why this work matters, while every piece of equipment needed for environmental exploration is within arm’s reach.

In the coming weeks, you’ll see Building 6 continue its evolution. Planters, a rain gauge, educational signage, and possibly even a trail camera will join our outdoor classroom setup. Each addition reflects our commitment to hands-on environmental education and our belief that students learn best when they can touch, measure, and experience the natural world directly. Building 6 may still be finding its identity as “The Sustainability Center,” but watching our students voluntarily set aside their phones to dive deep into environmental topics tells us we’re on the right path. Sometimes the most important learning happens not in spite of a space’s imperfections, but because of its authentic connection to purpose.