When the South Bay Union School District decided to convert an unused elementary school into a space for expanded learning opportunities, the Executive Team and School Board had a bold idea: custom design each of the building’s classrooms to accommodate a different kind of learning experience.
“We wanted to use these spaces in very different ways,” Director of Educational Services, Susy Chavez explains, “giving our students opportunities they don’t receive during regular instruction.”
When it opens to students in 2027, the building will have unique learning spaces for students to learn about drones and robotics, 3D printing, designing video games, entrepreneurship, health and fitness, music, theater and dance, and marine ecosystems, among other topics.
What’s more, the design of each room is perfectly matched to its theme, with furniture and equipment specifically chosen to support that type of learning. To execute such a bold vision, Chavez turned to School Specialty for help in designing, furnishing, and equipping each of the building’s distinctive learning spaces.
“School Specialty was a very collaborative partner, and they brought great ideas that made these spaces come alive,” Chavez says.
Fostering Excitement for Learning
South Bay Union School District is the most southwesterly school district in the United States. The district serves about 5,500 preschool through eighth grade students in Imperial Beach, San Ysidro, and south San Diego, 87 percent of whom are Hispanic.
South Bay’s West View campus was closed several years ago in a consolidation of two elementary schools. Rather than repurposing the building, the District prioritized utilizing the space to serve current SBUSD students. The building will host activities funded by California’s Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELOP), a statewide initiative supporting free before-school, after-school, and intersession enrichment programs for transitional kindergarten through 8th grade students.
The South Bay district worked with School Specialty Strategic Account Associate Traci Kasper and Senior Interior Designer Dana Jung to plan and outfit each individual room.
“I told them we wanted movable furniture that could be used for individual or collaborative work,” Chavez says. “We wanted each space to look different and elicit different ideas from students. We wanted students to come in and immediately feel excited to learn.”
Jung produced 3D renderings showing what each room might look like, complete with appropriate furnishings to support each type of learning activity.
“It was nice to be able to see our vision represented on paper and then make adjustments,” Chavez says, noting that School Specialty was very responsive to her feedback.
Preparing Students to be Professionals
In planning the instructional focus for each room, district leaders chose careers that were in high demand within their region. “We know that drones, robotics, and engineering are growing fields here in southern California,” Chavez notes. “We want to make sure students have the skills they need for success and can see themselves in those fields.”
The robotics room is equipped with tables with removable fences around the edges, so the robots don’t fall off as students are constructing and testing them. The tables are on casters so they can be moved to the side of the room, creating plenty of floor space for students to test their robots as well.
A 3D printing and makerspace room gives students the ability to create things. It’s furnished with mobile makerspace tables with built-in storage cabinets for stowing materials.
In these creative spaces, “students can engage in an iterative process,” Chavez says, “which helps them develop a growth mindset in which they’re always thinking about how they can improve on their ideas.”
The spaces include Muzo Juice Bot portable charging stations that provide wireless power for charging electronic devices and double as sound amplification systems.
The entrepreneurship room includes individual soft seating with laptop tables for students to sit and work on their ideas by themselves, as well as breakout spaces for collaborating in small groups. An esports room contains gaming chairs, team and spectator areas, and a “shoutcasting” station for describing matches. The theater/dance space includes a stage area composed of Xbricks, which are versatile, interlocking polypropylene blocks that can be taken apart and also used as soft seating.
When the facility opens in 2027, students will be able to use it before and as field trip opportunities during intersessions. Students will also cycle through each room on a rotating basis throughout the school year, so every child has an opportunity to try each focus area.
“Every space provides a different learning opportunity,” Chavez concludes. And with authentic, professional-grade furniture and equipment supporting instruction, “students can see themselves as real professionals.”
Leave a Reply