Henry Sibley High School

Project Snapshot

PROJECT: Henry Sibley High School
LOCATION: Mendota Heights, Minn.
COMPANY NAME: Wenger Corporation
WEBSITE: www.wengercorp.com

Henry Sibley High School

Prior to the reorganization and addition of equipment cabinets, the media storage room was messy, disorganized and even a bit dangerous. Now, students and staff can find what they need when they need it.

THE CHALLENGE

Henry Sibley High School’s media storage room was a mix of old library shelves, second-hand cabinets and a used pegboard. Multiple users and events made organization difficult, as equipment was piled and stacked haphazardly.

THE SOLUTION

Wenger evaluated the size of the AV storage room and the equipment being stored before making recommendations. Then Wenger provided a variety of fixed and mobile media storage cabinets designed to accommodate every piece of AV equipment.

Three models of fixed cabinets were installed — standard, rackmount and organizer — with a variety of shelves, drawers and options. The organizer model features a wire grid inside the door and back panel designed to accommodate hooks, and other accessories: baskets, cable minders, mic stand holders and CD racks.

“Our new cabinet solution is night and day better than what we had before,” declares Dann Hurlbert, AV Specialist & Film Studies Instructor. “The cabinets are beautiful and really help keep the room looking clean.”

Henry Sibley High School

BEFORE

The room still contains the same equipment as before, but everything is organized in designated locations and out of sight. Space utilization also improved dramatically.

IMPACT ON LEARNING

Organizing and safeguarding all this valuable equipment helps ensure it will be available and operational when needed throughout the school. AV equipment represents a sizable investment, often acquired over multiple budget years. Hurlbert appraises HSHS’ inventory at more than $50,000, including two LCD projectors, four speakers, a mixer and “lots of little things that add up.”

He sees a growing proliferation of AV equipment today — equipment components are becoming smaller and more numerous. This makes organization more challenging, and more essential.

Editor’s Review

We often do not realize that AV equipment can become unwieldy and take up many square feet of storage space. In the changing education environment, with the need for alternative learning spaces, etc., using available space in an efficient manner is always welcome. In this instance, the school administrators were able to better utilize the storage space, provide a more secure storage arrangement for expensive equipment and, as a bonus, by having it so much better organized, free up students’ and teachers’ time for longer instruction and rehearsals.

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • Secret to Efficient, On-Time School Infrastructure & Modernization Projects is All in the Preparation

    Warmer weather and longer days make summer the ideal time for construction and modernization projects at educational facilities. School boards and construction firms must coordinate effectively to ensure that these projects do not extend even a single day into the school year and impede classroom operation.

  • Girl Sitting at Library Desk, Using Laptop

    How Campus Design Shapes the Finals Week Experience

    Academic performance is not just about preparation. It is closely tied to how students manage stress, maintain their energy, and shift between work and recovery modes. Much of that is influenced, directly or indirectly, by design.

  • Agricultural Sciences Complex

    Agricultural Sciences Complex

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. The College of Western Idaho's Agricultural Sciences Complex has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Grand Prize award in the category of New Construction.

  • CU-Lock Haven Receives $1.75M Gift for New Entrepreneurship, Media Center

    Commonwealth University-Lock Haven in Lock Haven, Penn., recently received a $1.75-million donation from entrepreneur and alumnus Nicholas Subich ’17, according to a university news release. The funds will go toward establishing the Nicholas Subich Center for Entrepreneurship and Media, a technology-driven hub for innovation and experiential learning.