Part of the East Side Union High School District, Andrew P. Hill High School is the only district high school to offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program. Opened in 1956, Carducci Associates collaborated with the architect, district and school members to update the large central plaza. Ensconced between education buildings and the school’s pool facilities, the plaza’s redesign has restored the heart of the campus. In addition to seat walls, shaded furnishings and new plant beds that help treat storm water, a large heritage tree was preserved for much needed natural shade. A pair of custom Corten steel screens artfully curve to enframe the performance space. An assembly of punctured screens forms a forest canopy towering over the performance space. The second smaller screen incorporates the school’s mascot: the falcon. The screens combined not only serve as backdrop elements for the plaza’s performance stage, but they also instill school pride and inspire students to soar beyond the possibilities.