OLMSTED TOWNSHIP, Ohio — Any designer knows the transformation of an unfriendly, stark, drab and gray room into a warm and comfy area can instantly boost one’s spirit.
That’s exactly what Olmsted Falls High School students recently completed making over the underused study hall area.
“Students no longer sit at the kitchen table or counter to do their homework like when we were kids,” Olmsted Falls High School Principal Leo Spagnola said. “They’re on their bed, they’re on their couch with everything being mobile.
“So they said our study hall room was super cold and uncomfortable with tables and desks. They pitched the idea to fundraise and help support the transformation. And we said, go ahead.”
The only caveat given was the room had to hold 125 students.
The effort was part of the school’s #HireCause initiative, which Spagnola described as offering opportunities for students to complete service projects that benefit the community.
This time, the kids decided they’d be the recipient.
Through a packed karaoke night and a holiday fundraiser, students raised more than $1,700 to fund the makeover, which included partnering with a local furniture liquidator.
Students who participated in the study hall makeover included Aubrey Caraballo, Noah Chaky, Noah Daw, Jacob Dolega, Alex Fay, Ben Frazier, Quinn Gates, Josie Ineman, Andrew Jernejcic, Prisha Kansara, Ryan Kessen, Dominick Mahoney, Zoe Nechvatal, Maddie Peebles, Nick Rossini and Lyla Williams.
“They actually took it a step farther by getting a bunch of picture frames and making posters of our students’ actual artwork,” said Spagnola, who said the school plans on adding cream colored paint this summer.
The impact of the relaxed study hall was evident on the first day after the transformation.
“Our study hall supervisor said every chair, every loveseat and every Ottoman was filled,” he said.
Impressed by the results, Spagnola suggests the makeover theme could expand throughout the building with staff members coming forward suggesting the addition of flexible furniture in their classrooms.
“You go to college campuses, they have some traditional lecture calls and those types of things, but the learning environments are vastly different than a traditional high school environment,” he said.
“We talk all the time about including the student voice and making them feel part of the learning process. I could see us over the next few years having teachers wanting to try a non-traditional classroom setting. I’d be willing to support that.”
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