Teachers and staff at Homewood-Flossmoor High School took time recently to give their ideas on how best to redesign spaces and convert vacant classrooms for new uses.

At a District 233 Finance Committee meeting Oct. 7, architects from DLA Architects reviewed input teachers in the Math Department and the Career and Technical Education (CTE) program offered in brainstorming sessions.

The ideas will help board members and administrators work with the architects. Many of the requests mimic what District 233 included in its new Science Wing, where classrooms are large, most furniture is movable and students can work in collaborative spaces. CTE is expected to grow as H-F works to meet state mandates for its new Career Pathways programs.

Math needs

The ideas come from math instructors who are teaching H-F’s 14 different math courses – from Integrated Math 1 through AP Statistics and Advanced Math Topics. They suggest ways to move H-F’s South Building into the 21st century by reimagining spaces that will move away from the traditional box-style classroom. 

They looked at how space will be used, what types of groupings will best serve students and their learning activities, the furniture and other equipment required and special considerations, such as storage, acoustics, etc.

To inspire collaborative learning, teachers suggest spaces and furniture that will allow students to move around and work in groups of three to six students for problem-solving. The mix of classrooms should include spaces to accommodate at least 30 students at once. Technology needs include a teacher’s TV whiteboard and computer. An adjacent room for breakout work would be ideal.

Teachers are asking for cubbies for student backpacks to get them off the floor and make the classroom space easily accessible. Some rooms will require storage. Moveable desks, comfortable chairs and power sources for easy use of laptops are a must.

Thinking ahead, the teachers considered an AP Cyber Security course, a sports analytics course and math collaborative teams.

CTE needs

Three CTE programs – Culinary, Fashion Design and Interior Design – were enlarged and given new work spaces in the North Building in 2023. Now H-F needs to look at how to best accommodate its current and future needs in Automotives, Aviation Mechanics, Business, Cosmetology, Cyber Security, Early Childhood/Elementary and Secondary Education, Health and Medical, Manufacturing and Building Trades and its Project Lead the Way engineering program. Several of these programs are envisioned to meet industry demands over the next 25 years.

Teachers want spaces that represent a true workspace, for example the dream for an H-F Early Childhood space would look like a pre-school and have an outdoor play area. 

For those working with machinery, the space should have “exceptional lighting” and be a space “showing that working with your hands and equipment does not have to be dirty.” Students need space to move around and work collaboratively. 

Currently, only Business students have adequate space, but that area needs better technology and flexible furniture that would allow for student collaboration. Automotives, Welding and Machine Shop are in cramped spaces, and there are needs for laser welders and metal 3-D printers. Engineering needs two spaces with a centralized lab and storage space, and electricity feeds are limited.

The school board will need to address where it will put the new programs, such as cosmetology, health and medical, and aviation mechanics.