BIA has moved to new school building

On August 21, 2007, Bridgeport International Academy moved to a beautiful new facility, located on Lafayette Street, known as the Seaside Institute building, and adjacent to the campus of the University of Bridgeport. The second floor of Seaside Institute has been renovated with many new classrooms, computer labs, a science classroom and lab, a nurse's office, a suite of offices, a conference room, a student lounge, bathrooms, a lunch room, and a multi-purpose assembly room.

 

Built in 1886 as a boarding school for young women, the Seaside Institute building was converted during the late 1980s into 30 apartments and a commercial area.

BIA has restored the building to its original design, by converting many apartments into classrooms, offices, and public space. Bridgeport Hope School, a kindergarten through eight grade school, continues to occupy the first floor of the building and has a separate entrance. BIA occupies the second floor and use the primary entrance to the original building.

After construction was completed, BIA moved on August 21 from Cooper Hall located on the west side of the university campus to the Seaside building adjacent to the east side of campus.

How many students can the new building accommodate? Advantages of new school building: What new technology will be incorporated into the new building? New facilities for science experiments: The number of rooms BIA will occupy in the new building; Future expansion on new building? How far from current location? The History of the Seaside building: Originally, Seaside Institute was established by the wife of one of two brothers who owned the Warnco factory across the street. Mrs. Warner wanted to create a boarding school for young women who were working in the Warnco factory. Subsequently, the building was used commercially to publish a newspaper and to print other publications, even though the zoning has always remained for educational and medical uses. During the late 1980s a developer converted most of the building into thirty condos, although a commerical space remained, but he sold only one condo and went bankrupt, due to a decline in the housing market. BIA has owned the building since the year 2000. Because BIA's ten year lease of Cooper Hall ended in July, the Academy spent two years raising funds and renovating the Seaside Institute building to make it into a state-of-the art facility. The new building has many pleasant features, including high ceilings and ten-foot high windows, as well as modern science and computer labs. any more. How many students does the new facility accommodate? The current facility can accommodate as many as 110 students, and there is room to expand into other parts of the building by converting apartments into classrooms and dorm rooms. Advantages of the new school building: In particular, there are plans to build a much larger assembly room by turning several additional apartments into usable space for the Academy. A good thing about the new building is that it is adjacent to the University of Bridgeport and houses Bridgeport Hope School,an elementary/middle school, which has produced some very excellent students for BIA. The proximity of the two schools makes it convenient for parents who have siblings attending both schools. their school day ends. What new technology exists in the new building? The entire school is a multi-media facility which is completely wired to accommodate Internet access in every office and classroom, especially in the four computer rooms. Kenya Sohn, the computer administrator, is excited about the new computer labs, which have state of the art equipment at his finger tips. DVD-Video equipment to show video streaming in screens with stereo sound speakers. Also, the entire building is hard-wired as well as being wireless. Initially, one computer lab is for used by various classes, another is for individualized study, and two others are being used full-time by the mathematics and English teachers; the third lab is but will expand to four, each room having 20-15 new computers and 19 inch flat panel monitors. During school hours, students have access to the computer labs. The wiring contributes to another aspect of the school, the plan is to buy additional technology in the future. New facilities for science classes: - The new science room includes a laboratory and storage area which are state-of-the-art, allowing students to learn more from their science classes. Joan Van Geldern, the science teacher, is planning to buy even more equipment in order to make more complex experiments in the future. Classrooms in the new building; - Seaside Institute has ten classrooms, including four computer rooms, two ESL tutorial rooms, and an assembly room. Each classroom room was designed by the architect, Pat Rose, to enhance learning. The classrooms will provide a spacious environment for books, art work, and a friendly atmosphere. Future expansion on the facility? - Because the building has four floors with the commerical area and twenty-three apartments currently being occupied, expansion is possible -- as the number of students increases over time. How far from the previous facility? - Although Seaside Institute is located on the east side of the university campus, it is only a short walk to Marina Cafeteria and Wheeler Recreation Center, which are used by BIA and located on the west side of campus.

    

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