The Northstar School in Rajkot, Gujarat, is an attempt to go back to the way students were traditionally taught. Inspired right from the days of Santiniketan, an era when learning was not confined to four walls, this school promotes holistic learning with nature.
Mohit Patel, the founder of Northstar school, started it in 2016 to replicate the ideas of open learning propagated by Rabindranath Tagore, where students are connected to nature in every space.
While studying at Harvard, the 38-year-old realised that the way schools are run today is in direct conflict with the way children learn.
The school is set across a 15-acre campus with more outdoor spaces than indoor. It lays great emphasis on climate and sustainability, with integrated water management systems and energy efficient architecture.
Architects Shanmugam and associates designed the school in a manner that allows natural light and cooling by using local materials.
Out of the 15 acres, the academic blocks only make up 2 acres. The remaining 13 acres are play areas, cricket fields, swimming pools, athletic tracks, fruit orchards and more.
The school has a central courtyard inspired by the stepped wells of Gujarat with each classroom having its own private garden and open courtyard.
A microclimate is created in each classroom which keeps the temperature lower than the outside environment.
The architects have used local, indigenous materials like Kota stones and local limestones. They have green, vegetated screens on the first floor outside classrooms to give a garden feeling, and also reduce dust.
The school also has a horticulture program that teaches students the process of growing flora and fauna and is aimed to foster a deep-rooted connection with earth and climate.
There is a robust waste management system for water, food and sewage. All food waste is reused as manure and water is recycled.
Rainwater is harvested and used for recharging the borewells. The design also minimises the usage of electricity.
Northstar has 500+ students and 80 teachers. There are no exams till Class 10, with the focus on enjoying school.
The goal and vision of the school is to help students ‘explore their true north’.