After five years at Southmoor Elementary, fourth-grade student Dean Trujillo had a lot of ideas about making his school a better place to learn. But it wasnt until he was part of the schools design advisory committee, with Southmoor parent Sarah Onley and his fourth-grade teacher Kristen Neumann, that he felt his ideas would be heard.
The team would ask me, Is this a good design? Dean said. And they would make the school better based on my opinion, which was a great thing for me.
A self-described wiggler and visual learner, Dean faced problems keeping focus due to his schools older design and furnishings. Southmoor was built in the 1970s using the then-popular open-floor model. When the plan fell out of fashion, the rooms were separated with temporary walls. The resulting noise levels inhibited student learning.
Temporary walls were a big problem last year, Dean said. You can hear the other classes and that disrupts you.
Dean, Sarah and Kristen saw their dreams come to life thanks to the 2012 Denver bond and mill levy. Permanent walls brought quiet to classrooms; rooms could be secured; the gym got a new floor; and natural light breathed life into the once-dreary building. And to top it all off, breakout rooms and new learning spaces were attached to every classroom, giving teachers space for group, individual and specialized learning.
There is a lot of opportunity for individual instruction with the way the breakout rooms are crafted, said Sarah. Giving teachers the opportunity through differing spaces to make that happen is great.
For Sarah, Dean and Kristen, their building has finally caught up with modern-day learners.
We have the technology now. We have these cool classrooms with new desks and new chairs, said Kristen. I think that we are supporting the 21st-century learner.
We have the technology now. We have these cool classrooms with new desks and new chairs, said Kristen. I think that we are supporting the 21st-century learner.