Surrounded by a dense tree canopy and natural existing wetlands on all three sides, the new Grandville Middle School positions itself to take advantage of these natural elements, providing learning opportunities that are both welcoming and engaging. With an emphasis on enhancing the social-emotional learning and development of middle school students, the design was able to incorporate intentional collaboration spaces that encourage relationship building and promote nature rich learning with hands-on opportunities. Bringing the community together around a non-traditional extra-curricular program such as Robotics allowed many parents the opportunity to see first-hand what education in the 21st century can look like.