The start of second semester has brought along several new changes to the school. Along with the relocation of office hours to the fieldhouse, the school has recently made the decision to move the Math Science Technology (MST) and Literacy Resource (LRC) Centers from their former locations to Studio C.
According to Rose Weismann, LRC specialist, the resource centers were moved in an effort to better utilize Studio C, as it is a “big, beautiful space” in the school.
“The space felt wasted,” Weismann said. “[The administration] felt that if [the resource centers were] in a main hallway, it would increase the usage of the space by combining them.”
In addition to reutilizing Studio C as a resource space, the administration has made changes to the layout of furniture as well, in order to accommodate the students coming in for help.
“We’ve removed the lounge, [and] brought in more tables to [make Studio C] a little bit more academic, or academically focused, [and] not kids just lounging on the benches,” Josh Johns, MST specialist, said.
However, although Studio C has been reworked to encourage a more studious environment, the configuration of the space itself poses a challenge to both the students and staff members working there, as the large, echoing space amplifies sound.
“What concerns me the most about this new model is not being able to [have] focused conversation with my students, which is the key to my role; I have always been able to forge relationships with students, to be an adult mentor, and to be able to work on them with their college essays, their grammar style, [and] literary analysis. You need to be able to focus and be able to dissect the paper. It’s hard to do that in this environment,” Weismann said.
Although the sound issue has not yet been solved, Weismann says that the administration “is aware.”
The spaciousness of Studio C also lends itself to allowing a greater number of students to visit the resource centers, which, for some students, can be frustrating.
“I don’t really like the open space because when you raise your hand, [Mr. Johns] doesn’t [always] see you. [Studio C] can fit so many people that you can’t even get help,” Alexandra Goldenstein, junior, said. “Sometimes it’s so busy and it’s really loud.”
Despite some of the inconveniences of the new space, Johns notes that he has noticed an increase in students coming in for math help.
“I’ve seen some new students that maybe I did not see either first semester or years past,” Johns said. “I don’t know if [it was because the math resource center] was out of the way, or didn’t know where it was. But I have seen some new faces getting help.”
However, these changes are not permanent, and Weismann says they are undergoing a trial period this semester to observe if it is successful in “achieving what [the administration] hoped,” instead of making a “drastic change” over summer break.
In fact, the administration is already looking to make changes to this new arrangement. As of now, Weismann’s office will be situated in the Hub for those who require more individualized writing support, and additional aid from English, Social Studies, and World Language teachers can be found in Studio C. According to Johns, the MST will remain in Studio C as well.
