Oil Boom Funds Collaborative Learning Future

Collaborative Learning

Furniture from Smith System helped turn the MISD elementary schools into fully-functional 21st century learning environments.

Midland Independent School District (MISD) in West Texas has approximately 24,000 students spread throughout its many campuses. Recently, the district faced a major challenge — a population boom, fueled by surging oil production in the area’s Permian Basin.

Between 2010 and 2014, Midland’s community population increased by nearly 25 percent. In turn, new families swelled the district’s K-12 classrooms to capacity, requiring the district to install over 75 portable classrooms throughout its 36 campus sites. This strain was particularly felt in the primary grades.

In November 2012, voters passed a history-making $163 million elementary schools bond initiative. The bond would provide major funds for renovations and improvements at MISD’s 24 elementary campuses, and construct three new K-6 elementary schools (opened in fall 2015).

For MISD educators and staff, the bond offered tremendous opportunity to provide 21st Century Learning environments for its youngest students.

For classroom furniture, the district wanted to look at higher quality products with a longer life span and the ability to foster the desired collaborative environment. Lone Star Furnishings, an independent furniture distributor working with MISD, suggested MISD’s team visit the showroom of Smith System, a K-12 furniture manufacturer, in Plano, TX.

The choice was clear. MISD made Smith System its district standard for elementary furnishings purchased with the new bond money — for existing elementary schools and the new ones built. To fit the collaborative learning model, the district chose classroom furniture and storage units with casters for quick reconfiguration, and seating with maximum flexibility to help keep kids comfortable and focused.

www.smithsystem.com

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • Fellowes Launches New 3D Modular, Product Configurators

    Contract interiors and architectural solutions provider Fellowes recently announced the launch of new 3D modular and product configurators for several of its product lines, according to a news release. The new products offer SIF file integration and pricing for the Volo, Markerboards, Sena, and Rising product lines in connection with 3D Cloud, which provides 3D product visualization and 3D digital asset management.

  • Embry-Riddle Breaks Ground on New Office Building

    Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in Daytona Beach, Fla., recently announced that construction has begun on a new office building for its campus Research Park, according to a news release. The university partnered with Hoar Construction on the 34,740-square-foot Center for Aerospace Technology II (CAT II), which will be used for research and lab purposes.

  • Pudu Robotics Launches AI-Powered, Large-Scale Floor Sweeper

    Pudu Robotics recently launched the newest member of its MT1 series of robotic floor sweepers, the PUDU MT1 Max, according to a news release. The AI-powered, 3D perception robotic sweeper was designed for use in large, complex cleaning environments both indoors and semi-outdoors, like parking garages and semi-open building atriums.

  • Designing School Spaces for A++ Performance

    In recent years, the educational world has gained greater appreciation for the ways a space’s aesthetics, just like its acoustics, can positively impact educational outcomes. Consequently, engineering, designing, and constructing a school environment demands acoustics to be equally an art and a science, requiring architects and designers to see with their ears, while acousticians must hear with their eyes.

Digital Edition