A modern new elementary school helps Beatrice, Nebraska, put students at the center of learning.
If you ask students to describe what their school is like, chances are you wouldn’t hear the word “fun” used very often. Most school facilities have a very institutional look and feel, designed to keep students compliant while teachers are leading instruction.
The new preK-5 Beatrice Elementary School in Beatrice, Nebraska, breaks this mold. For proof, you don’t need to look any further than the giant, two-story tornado slide that students see in the middle of the commons area.
The message to the children is clear: We’re here to learn, but we’re also here to have fun and be engaged.
Decades of research shows that students don’t learn in the same ways or at the same pace, and their needs aren’t being met by the “one size fits all” approach of the old factory-era school model. The new Beatrice Elementary School recognizes this reality with a highly flexible design aimed at meeting all students’ needs.
“We wanted a building where our kids could learn in modern ways,” said Principal Missy Timmerman.
“Our kids aren’t just sitting at desks; they’re creating and collaborating. This building is a tool for us to take education to the next level.”
Putting Students First
The new 143,000-square-foot facility consolidates three elementary schools and a preschool into one state-of-the-art, two-story building that is FEMA-rated as a storm shelter for the safety of students, staff, and the general public. It features a secure entry, a geothermal HVAC system, 10 preschool classrooms, 36 grade-level classrooms, an Innovation Center, and a full-size gym with seating for 500.
Security was a key consideration in designing the new facility. All of the doors have magnetic locks that can be controlled from a central location with the push of a button, allowing administrators to lock down the building instantly. In addition, a sliding gate closes off the interior of the building from the main lobby.
Another important consideration was flexibility. District leaders wanted a space that could support many different types of learning modalities and student requirements, understanding that not everyone’s needs are the same.
For help in designing and equipping the new Beatrice Elementary School, district officials turned to School Specialty.
School Specialty Strategic Account Manager Heather Smith and Senior Learning Environment Specialist Belinda Engles worked with district leaders to identify their needs and design highly flexible learning environments that would support effective, future-ready instruction.
The school’s classrooms feature desks with various geometric shapes that can fit together in many ways to support different group sizes. Students also have a choice of several seating styles, including soft seating options and swivel stools that allow them to tilt, rock, and move while they learn.
Much of the furniture is on wheels, allowing students and teachers to reconfigure the classroom setup at
a moment’s notice to accommodate a new hands-on learning activity. “We’re putting learning in the hands of our students,” Timmerman noted.
The common areas feature “activity zones” where learning can continue outside of class—or where small groups of students can work on projects or receive supplemental instruction. The Innovation Center is one large, open learning environment that can be used in many ways, with bookshelves on wheels that can be used to define the space as needed. Students can retreat to quiet reading nooks in the Innovation Center to work individually or in pairs. Teachers can also reserve one of two “flex” classrooms for projects that are messy in nature, using them as fab labs or makerspaces as needed.
“The purpose is to put our kids’ needs first. It’s for our kids to have a place where they want to come and learn,” Timmerman said. “It’s a place for them to have the kind of education they deserve, in a space that’s safe and full of life.”
A “Gift to Our Community”
Change is hard, and some parents were skeptical of the new facility at first. Consolidating four
school buildings into one meant closing the older neighborhood schools, which didn’t sit well with many people initially.
But when parents were able to tour the new building for the first time, all of their concerns disappeared.
“We have not heard one negative comment after they come here,” Timmerman said. “I had one parent say, ‘I didn’t get it before, but now I understand. This is such a gift to our community.’”
Teachers and other staff members are excited about the possibilities the new building enables. To help them take full advantage of the new space for learning, district leaders have been offering professional learning opportunities for the last few years, building the capacity of staff to use active learning strategies and differentiate instruction. What’s more, teachers now receive common planning time to collaborate with their colleagues and plan future-ready lessons.
“It’s such a great reset for our district to give teachers a space where they be successful,” Timmerman said.
Smith and Engles went the extra mile to ensure the success of the project, even installing blackout shades on all the interior windows that teachers can deploy instantly in the event of a lockdown.
“To think they have this amazing, innovative space in tiny Beatrice, Nebraska, is fantastic,” Engles concluded.
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