Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District CTE Feasibility Study

Vaysen Studio collaborated with Ashley McGraw Architects and Barker Architects to provide a comprehensive assessment of the existing Construction Trades learning facility and to propose design solutions for new construction, renovation, and expansion of the program.

At the same time, the Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District was exploring the addition of three new Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs—Culinary Arts, Cosmetology, and Public Safety. The goals were to identify existing deficiencies, assess future needs, and design a renovated and expanded CTE structure for the Conant Middle High School campus that would support current programs and accommodate growth for years to come.

Collaborative Planning with Community and Industry

We worked closely with the district and Region 14 community—which includes the Masenic, ConVal, and Jaffrey-Rindge school districts—to ensure that the design process represented all voices. Through a stakeholder mapping process, we identified groups with unique interests, needs, and schedules, establishing dedicated stakeholder teams to help guide the process.

Local industry partners contributed their expertise through Program Advisory Committees (PACs), one for each CTE program. Sharing a common goal that CTE spaces should mirror real-world environments, we toured relevant workplaces guided by PAC members, immersing ourselves in the experiences that learners are preparing for.

Learner experience is central to the Jaffrey-Rindge ethos, and we ensured that students played an active role through a learner design team that helped guide discussions and decisions throughout.

To provide consistent touch points and shared decision-making, we also helped establish a Building Committee that included a cross section of stakeholders—from local elected officials to current CTE learners. Together, the committee articulated a shared vision for the future of Conant’s CTE programs:

“New ways of learning with a focus on flexibility, creativity, and problem-solving. Learners should be spending more of the day doing active, hands-on, skills-based work.”

Designing Spaces that Inspire Hands-On Learning

With the goal of ensuring that all students can benefit from the new addition, our design creates a new front door for Conant High School that welcomes the entire community. The addition includes collaborative instructional and gathering spaces and offers visibility into all lab-based programs, sparking interest and curiosity among students. 

The design also introduces a central courtyard, envisioned as a campus mixing bowl—a flexible outdoor venue for everything from EMT training to graduation celebrations, reinforcing connection and shared purpose across programs. 

Community remained a central touchpoint throughout the process—especially in discussions about program priorities and levels of local investment needed for project success. Facing a challenging market and uncertain future conditions, we facilitated a community participatory budgeting workshop, allowing a cross section of stakeholders to openly discuss how to shape project scope to align with both state funding priorities and local approval. 

From start to finish, our commitment to community guided every decision. The outcomes extend beyond physical facilities—they represent an investment in transferrable skills, local economies, and the future of the Jaffrey-Rindge community. 

Client

Jaffrey-Rindge Cooperative School District

Services

Community/Stakeholder Engagement
Feasibility Study
Space Programming
Existing Conditions Assessment

Location

Jaffrey, New Hampshire