A representative from Grace Prep, Carrie Foster, reached out to Worthington Direct looking for a furniture solution. Mrs. Foster needed a way to cater to the unique University Model that required flexible furnishings to accommodate daily restructuring.
K-12 University Model
Grace Prep is a private Christian K-12 school that serves the Dallas/Fort Worth Area with a unique University Model. The model allows the lower school, K-6 students to spend two days a week at home with parent led instruction provided by the school. The upper school students, spend three days at home and the remaining time spent on campus.
Using this family-centered college prep model, a lot of commitment is made by students, parents and staff. Successful implementation of this plan requires skilled coordination, resulting in an astonishing 100% college acceptance rate for Grace Prep graduates.
The Classroom Challenge
Classrooms are often used by both elementary and secondary students. Previously, teachers were swapping out entire desks and stacks of chairs in each room every day to accommodate the varying sizes of students.
This caused storage issues of furniture that was not being used for the day and was not a sustainable way to operate for their staff.
The Furniture Solution
Enter Worthington Direct to offer the perfect solution from Smith System: A pneumatic adjustable student desk on wheels. The Silhouette Sit Stand student desks by Smith System offer smooth pneumatic adjustable tops that can cater to all Grace Prep student heights.
With a very strong athletic program, Grace Prep has to meet the physical needs of all their star football and basketball players too! The inclusion of wheels allows for easy desk movement, facilitating a more fluid daily learning experience.
“In the past, we just had rows of really old tables that we couldn’t really move,” says Haley Coon, enrichment teacher. Teaching lower school students music, art and STEM, Mrs. Coon needed a more flexible solution to meet all of her enrichment programs.
“Tons of pods that we can put in groups” have allowed her to divide students more easily into stations. “This also helps with the noise,” she continues to add, with a look that any busy teacher would understand.
Stylish Enough for Harry Styles
Art projects come in all sizes. Unfortunately, the art studio at Grace Prep was not as flexible prior to the project. Large, stationary tables filled the space before and were not easy to move around.
Worthington Direct suggested Planner Studio Tables by Smith System. These robust tables are on caster wheels allowing for easy transition of the art studio from small group work, to one large work table for large projects.
The Trespa TopLab Plus tops are thin and lightweight, yet highly durable, and importantly, waterproof. Students are able to either stand like the life-size Harry Styles cutout, or be just as stylish using the new Numbers Stools.
Also excited to have new classroom furnishings is Mike Lydecker, an upper school math teacher. “Provides us with so many options within our classroom to engage our students.”
Mr. Lydecker is able to walk from table to table and assist students and provide invaluable face-to-face interactions. “We can actively have groups of different sizes, with different configurations. Many opportunities for active learning, group work, and different project based things that we can do.”
Student Approved
Students love that they can sit backwards in the Numbers chairs. With just the right amount of seat flex, the new chairs allow for flexible seating, even with what looks to be a mostly traditional classroom chair.
Numbers chairs do not have any exposed rivets and students with long hair do not miss getting their hair caught in the rivets of their old chairs.
Inventively one student points out “these little hooks,” “you can hang your hoodies, lunch boxes and water bottles.”
While this design element was structurally intended to protect the stackable Numbers Desks while being stacked, Smith System maximized their functionality and each desk has four storage hooks. This reduces desktop clutter and classroom floor hazards.
Transformative Partnership
The partnership between Grace Prep School and Worthington Direct has resulted in a transformative solution to the school's furniture needs. By implementing flexible and durable furnishings from Smith System, Grace Prep has not only addressed the challenges posed by their unique University Model but has also enhanced the learning environment for both students and teachers.
With innovative designs and practical features, such as adjustable desks and storage hooks, students are empowered to engage in active learning, while teachers have the flexibility to create dynamic classroom arrangements.
This collaborative effort reflects a commitment to excellence in education and sets a benchmark for fostering success within educational institutions.
Explore the transformative impact of thoughtful classroom furniture design where every student-centered feature, from backpack hooks to ergonomic chairs, encourages active and engaged learning while promoting comfort and focus.
Read more case studies and customer stories from Smith System, highlighting the positive impact of well-chosen furniture on classroom dynamics and student engagement.
