This school year, the Berkley School District implemented a series of upgrades thanks to an $88 million bond approved by the community. This bond has been the reason for multiple new upgrades, including Hurley Field, new gyms in the elementary schools, expanding the parking lot at Anderson Middle School, and so much more. One of the most visible changes is the new furniture in every classroom, including tall desks, whiteboard surfaces, and newly designed chairs, which has sparked mixed reactions among students and staff.
To understand how students and staff feel about the new furniture, I spoke with several members of the Berkley High School community. When asked about the tall desks, sophomore Jess Miller says, “It is easier to see the board with the tall desks. I am shorter, so being elevated behind taller people really makes a difference,” which a lot of people can relate to. On the other hand, junior Katelin Sills “doesn’t really think they make a difference.” Sills continues by saying, “I don’t like the new chairs; I think all of them need wheels and not only half of them. The high chairs especially need wheels because it’s very difficult to move them when your feet aren’t touching the ground,” which Miller acknowledges and concurs with. Both Sills and Miller agree that the whiteboard desks are very useful and remove another step by having to get up to grab a whiteboard; instead, they are right on your desk whenever you need them!
Nonetheless, U.S. History and Sources of Strength teacher Mrs. Sims enjoys the fact that students have a variety of choices. She states, “I like that the new desks have options like some chairs are on wheels, some desks are taller, and some desks are shorter.” Mrs. Sims’ point makes sense because students having more variety in where they sit is crucial in learning. When people aren’t comfortable or cannot see very well, it is much harder to focus on whatever is being taught.
In previous years, Mrs. Sims has always had dining room tables in her classroom instead of a typical classroom setup. This year she has taken on both her original, long dining room tables and the new desks. She states that she “likes the idea of kids being able to have different options” in her classroom, and with the new furniture, this choice for students has spread to every learning environment. The reason she kept the dining room tables was solely to make “doing larger projects easier when you can nicely lay something out without having to worry about the creases where the desks come together” and to give students even more options on where they believe they can learn most effectively.
Mrs. Sims, who still uses dining room tables for larger projects, appreciates the new desks’ durability and variety. She emphasizes the importance of offering students flexible seating choices. Mrs. Sims respects that the tall desks give taller students more leg room, shorter students more availability to see, or even a choice to stand when doing work. While students’ preferences vary, Mrs. Sims believes that this diversity of opinions is what makes the new furniture so effective.
Ultimately, the variety of new furniture offers students a chance to create a learning environment that suits them best. While opinions vary, the flexibility provided by the new desks and chairs is seen as a positive change for many. Berkley is lucky that its citizens voted to implement new upgrades, and students and staff are extremely grateful.
