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Why School Computer Labs Still Matter

  In response to a rising number of students with personal laptops, educators and administrators are questioning the need for computer labs. However, while access to technology is changing their function, computer labs remain relevant in today’s schools for a number of reasons. For starters, computer labs create inclusive, structured learning environments where students can

3 Ways to Make Your Social Distancing Signs More Effective

  By Amy Servi How can you make your school more safe and sanitary for all? One way is to make sure your social distancing signs and products are exactly where they should be to effectively reach as many people as possible. In this article, we’ll walk you through the all-too-common issues with current social

Safer K-12 Design: School Should Feel – and Look – Like School

  By Becky Brady K-12 schools exist to engage students in active learning, providing them with the skills and knowledge for successful futures. Unquestionably, these environments should also be safe and welcoming. Today’s students grapple with concerns including bullying, fights, the risk of school shootings, natural disasters, and mental health of students and teachers, which

Ensure Safe and Clean Learning Spaces This Fall

  By Eileen Roybal Maintaining a safe and clean learning environment is more important now than ever before. For so long, the trend in education was collaborative, hands-on learning. Now, to keep students and staff safe, learning spaces will simply have to look differently. Hopefully, for the sake of encouraging biophilia – the idea that

How to Incorporate Modular, Reconfigurable Design Elements into Education Spaces

  By John Stein In the COVID-19 world, the necessity for educational facilities to prioritize student wellness is more relevant than ever, as good design has become a literal health issue—where strategic square footage, hygienic surfaces and materials, and proper social distancing solutions are fundamentally important to ensure learners (and their educators) remain in good

School Cafeteria: Cleaning, Sanitizing and Targeted Disinfecting

  After a very long and unexpected break, halls and classrooms will soon be filled with returning students and staff. This extended vacation is the ideal time to get some targeted deep cleaning done. One of the most challenging places to clean is the school cafeteria. School cafeterias and kitchen areas contain a legion of

The Role of Sports Flooring Systems in Indoor Air Quality

  By Don Brown When considering the air quality in your school, it’s likely that sports flooring isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. Unfortunately, not all floors, adhesives and other materials are made equal, and many of them can release pollutants into the air over time. So, when planning a sports floor installation

Buyer’s Guide to Modular Buildings

  Modular buildings are the epitome of modern construction, symbolizing how technology and research has led us to develop structures that are cost-effective and energy-efficient. With the potential to cut costs by 20 percent, it is not surprising why modular buildings are gaining popularity across the globe. Want to know more? This guide will walk

Kitchen Equipment Essentials for School Cafeterias

  Essential kitchen equipment for school cafeterias includes cook and hold ovens, steam tables, merchandising refrigeration, and heated merchandiser units. A school cafeteria serves a critical function beyond that of any typical restaurant. While the latter’s chief goal is to provide guests with a pleasant dining experience, cafeterias have the responsibility of providing the primary

The Doorknob Dilemma

  Do your classroom door handles have locks on them? Are classroom door locks permitted by the fire marshal in your area? The answer to both of these questions is far from straightforward and the answer varies from school to school and fire district to fire district. Classroom door handle inspection is a standard part

Selecting an Indoor Sport Flooring Finish

  By Eric D. Lussier Your gym is enclosed, the HVAC is running, and the basketball backboards are in place. The final touch to your athletic facility is the only item outstanding: the sports floor. There are many options that you may consider when it comes time to choose from the varied athletic surface options

How K-12 Facilities Impact Student Health and Learning

  By Eleanor Jacobson It is important to make sure your K-12 facilities are ready for the back to school season – all from a preventative maintenance perspective. And while being proactive in our facilities is important, there’s another benefit to keeping our school buildings in top shape: the well-being of our students. Asset longevity,

5 Ways Wall Graphics Build Community and School Pride

Schools are very important and influential institutions. From preschool, elementary school, middle school, high school, and even college, school is the place where we spend almost a quarter of our lifetime. Even after we had graduated, we still feel emotional ties with our alma maters. Those years in one place have deeply imprinted their environment,

Using Assets in Nature to Create Playgrounds

Playgrounds have come a long way over the last decade. One of the most important movements in playground design has been using a more natural materials in the design of playgrounds. When you use more natural elements, these are more enticing to both adults and children. By using natural shade, native plant life, trees, and

Lab Equipment That Enhances Learning

A new school with a fresh new approach to learning, St. Anthony Catholic School in Madison, Mississippi, needed a science lab with equipment and furnishings as innovative as the school’s hands-on, inquiry-based curriculum. With less than one year until opening day, Principal Angela Brunini turned to Sheldon Labs to create that lab. “In their initial

Making Your Classroom Lighting Learner and Sensory Friendly

A classroom should be a place of discovery and intellectual development for students of all ages. However, it also can be a place of frustration and confusion if the conditions aren’t optimal. Although the strength of the teacher and the materials are the most important ingredients for success in school, the role of the physical

When to Replace Sports Padding

By Michelle Robinson Padding is only as good as the protection it provides. When vinyl and foam are subjected to varying temperatures, extreme weather conditions, areas of activity, or the passage of time, they are subject to wear and tear. Under these circumstances, padding may tear, separate, sag, or deteriorate. Even constant impact can affect

6 Steps to Increase School Security with Visual Identification

By Julie Kuepers With the recent barrage of school violence around the nation, school leaders have realized that the bar for security standards needs to be raised significantly. To maintain higher security levels in the classroom and within school walls, it’s integral to understand the security options that are available. In addition, when you partner

5 Things to Think About When It Comes to School Flooring

By Sonya Myers Choosing the right school flooring should be an easy choice. And while there’s no one-size-fits-all solution, here are five criteria to help you select flooring that looks good and works hard. 1. Longevity Ideally, whatever flooring you choose for your school facilities will last a long time, and good flooring will be

School Playground Equipment Considerations

Educators know that play is one of the most effective ways for children to learn. That is why a well-designed and well-installed playground is an indispensable part of a school. Here, we provide some suggestions for School Boards and PTAs to consider when choosing playground equipment and installing play structures on their grounds. Before you

Modular Buildings for Sports Complexes

Sports complexes today are becoming more and more intricate, involving a variety of different structures and buildings. Depending on the organization the complex is for, the facility can house practice fields, indoor training facilities, concession stands, practices fields, or even full-blown stadiums. Most of these buildings are small to medium in size. Modular construction provides

How School Security Can Be Improved Using Locks

School security is an increasing concern these days. You hear about it all too often in the news. A shady character makes his or her way onto school grounds and causes horrible tragedies. It happens so often now that most schools have a police resource officer on staff all the time, even elementary schools. However,

Keyless Locks for Classrooms

The most common approach to school security has centered around protecting the perimeter. But as our nation has seen time and again, the best security systems and intercoms at the entrances to the school are easily thwarted by an armed gunman intent on getting in. Once in the building, the classrooms become prime targets for

5 Time-Tested Tips for K-12 Design

Rapid technology advancements, sustainable design and new pedagogies incorporating various learning styles have permanently changed the way students learn. Consequently, school designers are modifying their approaches to incorporate these elements while still meeting fundamental student needs. I’ve been designing schools for a long time, and I’ve seen trends come and go. Here are five time-tested

How to Select a School Science Lab Furniture Manufacturer

If your school is in the midst of building or retrofitting old science classrooms, finding vendors with the right products and the ability to produce those products cost effectively and on time is paramount. Let’s take a look at the most important attributes when selecting a science lab furniture manufacturer. Price There is no way

How Does a Classroom Design Affect a Child’s Ability to Learn?

Student outcomes are the most relevant factor when it comes to measuring the success of a learning environment. Though classroom design has an important influence on learning achievement, the majority of time is spent on traditional methods of enhancing the learning progress, such as executing standardized tests, professional growth for educators, and advancement or mediation

5 Tips to Improve School Grounds

Those in charge of the grounds at schools should not underestimate the importance of grounds in contributing to school pride, first impressions and a professional image. It matters little the state of your school buildings when your grounds are the first thing people see. So, put some serious thought into ensuring your school grounds are

Making the Shift to Artificial Turf

Jackson Christian in Jackson, Tennessee, has launched construction of an artificial turf installation on the newly named Southern Capital Field at Ronnie Fowler Stadium. Founded in 1976, Jackson Christian is a private, college preparatory school located in Jackson, Tennessee. With an enrollment of more than 840 students, the school offers programs for infants through 12th

Digital Signage for Schools

Modern technology is evolving every day. It is a part of most of our daily activities. School time should be no exception. Neither kids nor parents want to see old chalkboards. It is shown that students are a lot more enthusiastic about learning when the experience is interactive. Digital signage can bring that interactive experience

5 Places in Schools that Need LED Lighting

By Rebecca Killam Schools can benefit from LED lighting in more places than you may think. Using LED technology can not only cut electricity costs, it can also help improve student learning and campus safety. Shown to improve mood, reduce eye strain, and reduces absenteeism, LED lighting has a direct impact on students, teachers, and

The Importance of Entrance Matting

By Robert Segers Often overlooked and many times an afterthought, the proper matting at your building’s entrances can be the best investment you make to protect your interior flooring as well as the safety and well-being of your students, faculty, staff and visitors. Eighty percent of soil, dust, contaminants and moisture are tracked in on

Bethany Christian Schools

Goshen, Indiana Sometimes what can’t be seen is as important as what can be seen. In the case of Bethany Christian Schools launching a large-scale improvement project to its facility, roof and mechanicals, the external benefits won’t be nearly as obvious as the long-term savings and the educational opportunities created. Bethany Christian Schools, along with

The Effectiveness & Longevity of Multipurpose Rooms

By Julie Wenckowski Recently I worked with a school district that had a mixture of newer and older buildings. While the new buildings are constructed for the 21st Century learner, the older buildings’ “traditional” structure fell short. Administrators challenged the faculty and staff to think outside the box and transform the older buildings to meet

Playground Surfacing with Poured in Place Rubber

When it comes to recreation surfaces, durability is second only to safety. Poured in place rubber playground surface is a durable, permanent surface option—making it safe, long-lasting and virtually maintenance-free! The rubber playground surface material is highly customizable for depth, color, shape and design. The pour in place method allows for a recreational flooring surface

The Standards Are Coming

By Mark J. Berger Standards are our way of selecting products that we know will meet our needs as well as relevant codes and safety regulations. Standards must evolve to meet emerging needs. Classroom lock standards have evolved over the last 100 years, but there haven’t been too many changes in the last 25 years.

High-Speed, Energy-Efficient Hand Dryers Help Schools Pass the Sustainability Test

By Rick Ritacco Across the nation, greening initiatives have moved educational institutions of all kinds—public and private, religiously affiliated and non-religious—to examine their facilities’ every corner for eco-friendly opportunities. It stands to reason that an increasing number have considered the restrooms; after all, in any building where scores of people convene, the restrooms may well

More Than Just a Game: The Future of High School Athletic Fields

According to a recent survey by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), over 7.8 million U.S. students currently participate in high school sports, breaking previous records for the 27th consecutive year. As participation and support for every sport from soccer to football, lacrosse, and track and field continues to grow, so do

Preparing for Emergency Response

With the start of a new school year, it is an excellent opportunity for districts to review their school security. With students and staff returning to campus, now is the time to review the performance of security and safety changes made over the summer. It also presents an opportunity to seek out and identify additional

School Foodservices: Back in Session

By Tracey Rector School is back in session! This means school foodservices are back in full swing from the cafeteria to the football field. With it being a new school year, now is the time to update and upgrade your current equipment and supplies to ensure a successful year. Here are a few ideas to

Top 5 Uses of Digital Signage for Schools

Digital signage can help bring an entire school together. It’s bright, colorful, and easily noticed! Built with LEDs, these signs are simple to program with the exact message you want. LED signs go far beyond just informing your students and faculty. They help to include your local community in events, celebrate school achievements, and can

Building Your Dream Playground One Phase at a Time

By Eric Torrey If you have ever envisioned your dream playground, presented your ideas to a commercial playground design consultant, and then been shocked by the cost – you are not alone. Playgrounds can be expensive. When faced with this reality, many people amend their dreams and “settle” for what they can afford. This does

Lockdown as Part of Your Active Assailant Strategy

By Ron Baer Perimeter fencing, visitor entry vestibules, attack resistant doors, proper locks, secure key systems, and effective hardware all play an important role in a school’s Active Assailant Strategy including their lockdown policies and procedures. Each element must be carefully considered to ensure the safety of students, faculty, staff and extended campus users. While

Creating Appeal for STEM Through Innovative Interior Design and Better Quality Classrooms

By Mike Serridge and Kate Willoughby Demand for STEM skills is strong across all economies and is set to grow in the coming years. Despite this, the issue of falling numbers in the uptake of higher level science and technology-based education has been the subject of many debates, studies, and reports for several decades. There
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