Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Student-Led Innovation

  • 10/01/18

Here are three ways for students to help reinvent learning through participation in the design process.

Design with Students:
For high school students, create a project-based experience that will impact the final design of the school. At the British International School of Houston, older students designed goat pens that are still used as part of the school’s focus on outdoor learning and exploration.

Build Soft Skills:
Students are some of the most eloquent and passionate advocates for reinventing learning. Involve students in the design process and let them take ownership. During the design of the new Booker T. Washington High School for the Engineering Professions in Houston, students made presentations on design concepts to teachers, community members, and their peers.

Think Small:
For elementary school students, art projects are a great way to put their mark on a building. At the new West Muskingum Elementary School in Zanesville, Ohio, elementary school students designed wall tiles that went into the restrooms.

This article originally appeared in the School Planning & Management October 2018 issue of Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Missouri K–12 District Cuts Ribbons on Two New Middle Schools

    Springfield Public Schools in Springfield, Mo., recently celebrated the completion of two new middle school facilities with ribbon-cutting ceremonies, according to a district news release. The district officially opened the new Pipkin Middle School and Reed Academy on Sept. 3, both of which were funded through the $220-million Proposition S bond program approved by voters in 2023.

  • University of Rochester to Break Ground on New Student Life Center

    The University of Rochester in Rochester, N.Y., recently began construction on a new Student Life building, according to a news release. The first floor will contain campus-wide gathering, program, and rehearsal space; the second floor will play home to the Greenbaum Center for Jewish Life.

  • TCU Marks Campus Expansion Milestone

    Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas, recently held a topping-out ceremony to mark progress on a major campus expansion effort including four new residential facilities and a five-story parking garage, according to a news release.

  • Q&A: How to Prevent Kitchen Grease Fires in Commercial Kitchens

    School cafeterias and university dining halls serve thousands of meals daily, relying on high-heat equipment like fryers, grills, and ovens. While these operations keep students fed, they also generate significant grease-laden vapors. Without proper controls, this grease becomes a silent fire threat. As a certified exhaust cleaning specialist and business coach who has helped hundreds of institutional facilities achieve NFPA 96 compliance, I emphasize that proactive grease management isn’t optional; it’s a core fire/life safety practice.