Additions to Our New School Building
For our class entrepreneurship, we studied ourselves and the environment around us. First, we conducted a series of personality tests to see how we interact with each other, view ourselves, and view each other. Some personality tests worked with percentile, and some categorize personality in a “type of”. We also talked about "initiated" versus "born into" groups. After working with complex numbers in math, we learned Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs to understand what different instances can be applied to it such as friendships, families, school, etc. We looked at how businesses can support individuals and the benefits of being a member in certain companies.
I have an action project here that combines this research into a plan to improve a part of the school.
Our school is moving buildings next year, so there has been a lot of room for input in how the new school will be designed. I specifically would like to focus on two possible aspects of the school, a recording studio and student lounge. There is a model called the SWOT model that identifies the strengths, weaknesses, threats, and opportunities of including these rooms into the school:
Student Lounge
Strengths(internal):
Safety: Communication of anything out of bounds, and a max number of people in the room.
Weaknesses: Avoids competition when it has high presence, bored by routine
I have an action project here that combines this research into a plan to improve a part of the school.
Our school is moving buildings next year, so there has been a lot of room for input in how the new school will be designed. I specifically would like to focus on two possible aspects of the school, a recording studio and student lounge. There is a model called the SWOT model that identifies the strengths, weaknesses, threats, and opportunities of including these rooms into the school:
Student Lounge
Strengths(internal):
Integration of the student population, co-existence
Weaknesses(internal):
Avoidance
Opportunities(external):
Planned gatherings
Threats(external):
Messiness, volume
Weaknesses(internal):
Avoidance
Opportunities(external):
Planned gatherings
Threats(external):
Messiness, volume
Recording Studio
Strengths:
Inspiring, exciting
Weaknesses:
Depreciating skill/talent
Opportunities:
Creation, supportive of goals
Threats:
Scheduling time to use it, misuse of equipment
Now, in order to pinpoint what can be improved, we use Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs that applies to both a student lounge and a recording studio:
Psychological: The new building will provide cleaner air, better lighting, and better sound
Safety: Communication of anything out of bounds, and a max number of people in the room.
Love/belonging: Initiating friendships, and anyone is allowed to try out the recording studio.
Esteem: Feeling supported and acknowledged. In the lounge, if someone wants to be to themselves, that is allowed.
Achievable: It is achievable because we are starting with a new slate that is open to suggestions.
Relevant: Very relevant to the atmosphere of the school and where people can move, interact, or find sanctuary in.
Time: Over these next months including summer.
Strengths: Willing to collaborate, very open-minded, imaginative
Self-actualization: Following personal dreams with practice, and making the student lounge more representative of the community with student work and art.
Something our class discussed was the Commons, meaning resources that are publicly available to everyone. In our building this would include places like the bathroom, obviously. Both a student lounge and recording studio would act as a commons for the school. However the recording studio would be a bit more regulated and not as available with time. Some specific traits that make these places a commons is the seating, technology, lighting, windows, tables or artifacts, walls, instruments, speakers, and microphones. To create a goal of improvement, there are requirements that help build a solid vision. This is the abbreviation, SMART. Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and compatible with Time:
Measurable: Room size
Something our class discussed was the Commons, meaning resources that are publicly available to everyone. In our building this would include places like the bathroom, obviously. Both a student lounge and recording studio would act as a commons for the school. However the recording studio would be a bit more regulated and not as available with time. Some specific traits that make these places a commons is the seating, technology, lighting, windows, tables or artifacts, walls, instruments, speakers, and microphones. To create a goal of improvement, there are requirements that help build a solid vision. This is the abbreviation, SMART. Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and compatible with Time:
Student Lounge
Specific: Windows with natural light, comfortable diverse seating like cushions, bean bags, couches, low tables, botanics like aloe vera, bamboo, and house plants.Measurable: Room size
Achievable: It is achievable because we are starting with a new slate that is open to suggestions.
Relevant: Very relevant to the atmosphere of the school and where people can move, interact, or find sanctuary in.
Time: Over these next months including summer.
Recording Studio
Specific: The room doesn't have to be high tech or massive, just a more organized music/DJ/recording room. Sound proof walls with some acoustic foam, it doesn't have to engulf the entire room. A functioning speaker, a couple functioning microphones.
Measurable: Room size
Achievable: It is achievable if there is enough support, fundraising, donations, and student interest.
Relevant: Very relevant to student's visions, aspirations, and interests.
Time: Over this year.
Since I am proposing this plan, I have to incorporate myself into it. Except there is an acknowledgement that this is my senior year, and my presence won't be as available the next upcoming new year for the school. Anyways, based off my personality tests, I will be taking the results and accumulating them into strengths and weaknesses that will contribute into this role. These traits are based off of the Big Five Personality Test, Meyer-Briggs test, and a test on collaborative abilities.
- This can be very useful in envisioning and filling in a space like a student lounge. It can be very useful in how to set up something like a recording studio and its budget.
Weaknesses: Avoids competition when it has high presence, bored by routine
- This can be a downfall in exiting a situation where people have a lot of input and are fighting to speak, or being inconsistent in following a plan.
Other than my own involvement, it is important to gather the voices of different people in the school. I conducted multiple interviews with some classmates, and the school principal.
I asked a student how they would like to see the atmosphere of GCE change or improve in the new building?
They said, "Having us occupy every resource purposefully, so many things a lot of people don't use doesn't collects dust. I feel like we are turning our space into valuable resources that just have no purpose." A suggestion for that could be instead of storing resources to the side, making it a more obvious part of the space.
I asked a newer student in the school about their first impression of GCE and how does our space reflect our relationship between each other?
They said, "The school as a general, you get to know everyone, you can be more observant because of the school size. The building itself is smaller than others, the walls are thin so you can hear conversations. But you’re able to understand people more, even sitting at lunch minding your business, you notice things about people, how they talk and the way they move within the school." This is important to know because in high school we develop our persona more, and we influence and alter each other in subtle ways maybe we don't pick up all the time.
When I asked the principal about his first impression of this school he said, "I have a fond recollection of recognizing an aspiration to realize in space the values of the community like resourcefulness, recycled materials, creativity. There is evidence of this being used in unique varitable ways, of warmth, of movement, something about this space that encourages us to move through it rather than stop in it. There is an authenticity to this space, that it is being created by the community to express the community." I think this impression is a reminder of what to keep consistent in the school's design.
He also elaborated on spaces that would need more attention in designing, "There are spaces of gathering, the heart of school such as the lobby area, a cafe, dining area... Those places have to be carefully engineering and considered to have growth and accommodate different spaces of socializing and learning." He said "Public spaces and the overall feel", were significant, which I agree with. It contributes to a student lounge. This stuck out to me, "Opportunities for authentic experimentation and creation matter," which is what would make something like a recording studio/room valuable.
A final question was, how do you see the new building contributing to our community?
I asked a student how they would like to see the atmosphere of GCE change or improve in the new building?
They said, "Having us occupy every resource purposefully, so many things a lot of people don't use doesn't collects dust. I feel like we are turning our space into valuable resources that just have no purpose." A suggestion for that could be instead of storing resources to the side, making it a more obvious part of the space.
I asked a newer student in the school about their first impression of GCE and how does our space reflect our relationship between each other?
They said, "The school as a general, you get to know everyone, you can be more observant because of the school size. The building itself is smaller than others, the walls are thin so you can hear conversations. But you’re able to understand people more, even sitting at lunch minding your business, you notice things about people, how they talk and the way they move within the school." This is important to know because in high school we develop our persona more, and we influence and alter each other in subtle ways maybe we don't pick up all the time.
When I asked the principal about his first impression of this school he said, "I have a fond recollection of recognizing an aspiration to realize in space the values of the community like resourcefulness, recycled materials, creativity. There is evidence of this being used in unique varitable ways, of warmth, of movement, something about this space that encourages us to move through it rather than stop in it. There is an authenticity to this space, that it is being created by the community to express the community." I think this impression is a reminder of what to keep consistent in the school's design.
He also elaborated on spaces that would need more attention in designing, "There are spaces of gathering, the heart of school such as the lobby area, a cafe, dining area... Those places have to be carefully engineering and considered to have growth and accommodate different spaces of socializing and learning." He said "Public spaces and the overall feel", were significant, which I agree with. It contributes to a student lounge. This stuck out to me, "Opportunities for authentic experimentation and creation matter," which is what would make something like a recording studio/room valuable.
A final question was, how do you see the new building contributing to our community?
"To take ourselves seriously. Also, it will be a little more professional, and feel that way, and be compelling for those reasons."
Overall, this project I feel like combined psychology with businesses and planning. It helped analyze and structure more well-rounded goals for more a better plan that doesn't just stand on one individual voice.
Overall, this project I feel like combined psychology with businesses and planning. It helped analyze and structure more well-rounded goals for more a better plan that doesn't just stand on one individual voice.
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