Village East Gifted, an enrichment center that offers gifted and talented programs for gifted students on Long Island, recently redesigned its Huntington Station location to incorporate natural elements in its decor.
The Huntington Station location of Village East Gifted features design elements from nature, as well as a copper wall hanging, which was created by a student using copper and circuitry from computers and calculators.
Village East Gifted, an enrichment center for gifted students ages 4-18, recently redesigned its Huntington Station facility to include natural elements.
Natural materials such as brick, local bamboo, copper, brass, slate, and reclaimed wood furniture can be found throughout the facility. “The use of these natural elements makes for a comfortable, intellectually, and creatively stimulating environment for gifted students of all ages,” says Tobi J. Phillips, Ed. D. (cert.), founder and headmaster.
Other design additions include a 4-foot-long fish tank, a table made from a tree that had fallen during Hurricane Sandy, driftwood tables, and handmade chairs from the Adirondacks.
The change is to “give students a sense of nature as an art form,” Phillips says. The facility was also designed using the practice of feng shui, a Chinese system for positioning objects in a way that is thought to harmonize with spiritual forces, to “generate positivity and self-discovery,” Phillips adds.
In addition to the natural elements, the center also received technology upgrades, including a microbiology lab with six state-of-the-art digital microscopes, smart boards in all the classrooms, and new Apple computers, iPads, Apple TVs, and laser printers. Other features include a library with 3,000 books, and Student Café where students can take breaks and study.
Village East Gifted offers after-school and weekend enrichment classes, as well as a gifted kindergarten, which is offered at the Huntington Station location in half- or full-day sessions for ages 4-5.
