What do you see around every corner of the High School? Chairs. We have lots and lots of chairs, and many kinds of them too. They were meant to give students flexibility and create variety throughout the day and they have generally reached that goal. But, some things did not work out as planned. 

Choosing the chairs we learn in was a long process. Instructional coach, Mark Augspurger was part of the committee deciding this. “From four different companies we basically ordered pilot furniture, so all these companies were able to give us sample furniture because they wanted the district business,” Augspurger said.

To decide if the different seating options were worth it, Augspurger said, “[The committee] went through 2 days of a high school kid’s schedule, and they sat in the old desks and seats. And that was like, ‘oh this wouldn’t be fun’. They got to be monotonous, even though the class was different.” After this, they knew it was a necessity to change the chairs. 

In the first year with students learning in the new high school, they discovered some chairs worked in certain situations, but didn’t work in others. “[With] the soft seating, kids sort of damaged the laptop holders. Like ooh, it worked great for only 2 weeks, but over the first year, we thought high school kids would be a little more responsible than that,” Augspurger said. 

Seating also was not as flexible as they originally thought. As the high school filled to capacity, teachers weren’t able to check out the rooms to access different classroom setups. Originally, classrooms were meant to be reserved by teachers for specific purposes like debates, discussions, or free reading, as well as flexible for any subject. Social studies and psychology teacher Thomas Griffin said, “I think as our school has grown, it becomes harder to move around. I think the logistics of a school day and(…)moving a class for a day is a way bigger deal than checking out a book from the library.” 

Anita Dinakar ‘23 likes the rocking chairs. She says, “I can move around during class rather than just sitting still and it’s kinda fun.”  

Ellen Upper ‘24 has a different opinion. She said, “My favorite seating is actually traditional seating, like desks and chairs. I find myself paying attention better and learning more efficiently. I like to stick to what I’m familiar with!” 

Whether you love them, hate them, or are indifferent about them, JHS students are fortunate to have variation throughout the day. They provide flexibility to our school day and make classes a little less boring.