Learning Commons unveiled at Knoch
Knoch High School students can follow the scent of freshly-brewed coffee to a new place in the school called the Legacies Learning Commons.
The commons combines the school's library with a cafe, meeting and work areas, and areas for students to relax during breaks.
A grand opening for the learning commons was held Tuesday evening.
Jennifer Webb, the district's communication manager, said the commons offers a practical study area, a meeting room with plenty of outlets for technology and work tables with cabinets where students can store and lock their incomplete projects.
The computers and library books were essential moves to the commons, but another new feature, a few rows of chairs with outlets for personal electronic devices, are meant solely for mental breaks throughout the day during study hall periods, according to Webb.
“Students can just sit and relax between classes,” Webb said.
Webb said the other two features of the space, a set of aeroponics planters and a cafe, go hand-in-hand. The planters will provide students an idea of how plants can grow and provide. She said she hopes the aeroponics plants can be used in the future to help supply the cafe.
“Down the line, we're hoping to do strawberries for smoothies or something that can tie into the cafe,” Webb said.
The cafe may be the most notable spot, according to Webb. She said during renovation, the carpet was removed, and it was decided to keep the original wood beneath as the cafe's repurposed flooring. The hardwood beneath the carpet was once a gym floor. She said it is a unique way of preserving that history.
The cafe will be a hot spot for students to socialize, but it will also serve as a place for learning life skills for students with special needs, according to Webb.
Marisa Leech, a high school life skills support teacher, said the cafe's staff will learn about food preparation, handling money and cleaning, all of which will help them transition into other life skills opportunities in the community.
“This is kind of preparing them before they go out into the community,” Leech said.Leech said the cafe's staff also experience professional relationships with customers and social interaction that will transition into their future workplaces. She said the profits will also go toward their goal of developing community relationships.“We try to get the kids involved in the community as much as possible,” Leech said. “Any money that we do make will go into community-based exploration trips.”Leech said in addition to coffee and drinks, the cafe will also offer snacks, but will not be available during breakfast and lunch times, to encourage students to eat a balanced meal in the cafeteria.Kaylee Rodgers and Mackenzie Moretti, both Knoch seniors, said there was a lot of excitement about the cafe during the planning phase.“I like that they included special needs kids and help them learn life skills,” Mackenzie said. “(The students) have been anxious to see (the commons) because it's been closed. A lot of them are wondering about the cafe.”Kaylee said she thinks the new atmosphere will help students unwind if they need it or provide a good atmosphere for studying.“Now that it's more like a hangout area, it'll be a little easier to get in here and focus,” she said. “It'll be nice to come in here throughout the day and get away from school.”Kaylee and Mackenzie were part of the 30-person group that helped design and develop ideas for the features of the commons. Each class sent five students as representatives, five more participants came from the staff and five more from the community. Many of the designers attended the opening.“If one group had the same idea you did, then they pushed you to try and think of something a little bit different,” Kaylee said.A plaque is in the works as a future addition to remember those who contributed to the project, including designers and donors, according to Webb.Mackenzie said it will be nice to see and use the project she helped design, and Kaylee said she was happy to have made an impact on something lasting during her time at Knoch.“It's rewarding,” Kaylee said.In addition to designers and donors, representatives from the Knoch Knights Legacies Foundation, an organization dedicated to improving education for students of the South Butler School District, accompanied Principal Todd Trofimuk in remarks Tuesday about the journey the project has taken.The project took more than four years and $125,000 to complete, according to Trofimuk.He said $40,000 came from the foundation, but donations from the community financially and in spirit were essential to the completion of the commons.“There have been so many pieces and parts to this process,” Trofimuk said. “It's also about reaching out and partnering with the local community.”Trofimuk thanked all those in attendance and offered thanks for anyone involved with the project. He said creating an environment students want to be in will only increase the students' exposure to scholastic success.“Aside from the waterfall, all those elements that the students and community wanted to see are in this room,” Trofimuk said. “Getting kids to want to be here is half the battle.”
