Akron's new National Inventors Hall of Fame School building showcases STEM learning capabilities

The buzz was understandable. Six years in the making, the National Inventors Hall of Fame School (NIHF School) isn't your run-of-the-mill building.

Adjoining the former National Inventors Hall of Fame, a portion of which now operates as the Invent Now Museum, the school opened Sept. 1 as a showcase of modern architecture, practical functionality, and loads of advanced learning technology and collaborative spaces to facilitate STEM learning. the school opened Sept. 1 as a showcase of modern architecture, practical functionality, and loads of advanced learning technology and collaborative spaces to facilitate STEM learning.

It seems to bode well for the school's vision: "To provide the highest quality education experience for students that ensures creativity and inventive thinking through a focus on science, mathematics and technology."

"It was kind of funny, because when students came for our launch events, they didn't just bring mom and dad, but the family," says instructional leader Traci Buckner -- otherwise known as the school's principal. "The grandparents are coming -- everyone is so excited to see the facility. And when they get here they're just in awe -- they don't want to leave."

That must please Scott Lukens, a principal at Hasenstab Architects and lead architect on the project.

"It was just a pleasure to work on this project," says Lukens. "The great thing about it is we had clients -- the Ohio Schools Facility Commission, the Akron Public Schools and the City of Akron -- that were very supportive in allowing us to move outside the lines and even devote a little bit more money that was needed to make this thing happen."

At a cost of $14.5 million, the school's innovative design -- replete with lots of glass inside and out, tiered floors that allow students to look over into the museum space, and open ceilings to reveal the mechanical infrastructure of the school -- was partly the result of its geography, Lukens says.

"What we had from the beginning was the idea -- I'm not sure who came up with the idea, but it was a brilliant idea -- of taking that National Inventors Hall of Fame facility and adding to it to make a school," Lukens says.

The concept was to absorb a portion of the National Inventors Hall of Fame structure and add the additional floor area necessary to provide the appropriate space requirements for the new facility.

"We had about 25,000 or 30,000 square feet of existing building," he says, "and then we realized we needed about 45,000 more to make the program work. We were kind of landlocked because to the south was the existing building, to the north is the Morley Health Center."

The result is a six-story school -- two floors below ground, one at ground level and three above.

Each grade has its own floor; the "noisiest" classes, like band, are located below ground to dampen sounds in other parts of the building, Lukens explains. The building is also energy efficient and has applied for LEED Silver green building certification -- a decision made long before the State of Ohio instituted its energy-efficiency requirements for new school buildings, he adds.

But the "wow" factor goes beyond the structural innovations of the building to the educational aspects of the school, he says.

"We asked, how can we make this school really assist the learning process? And a lot of things came up, words like flexibility, multiuse spaces, cohabitating classes."

Mission accomplished, says Buckner, noting the open design of the facility. Each floor holds four classrooms, all with movable partitions to allow collaboration among classrooms. The schools' Great Hall is a wide open space that allows students and coaches (teachers) to meet for school-related activities or presentations. And new educational technology is part of the package.

The school, which opened last year in temporary space, already provided laptops to each student. This year, capabilities have been increased even further, she says.

She cites improvements like state-of-the-art labs and AirLiner slates – wireless electronic tablets whose software will allow kids to remain seated while showing their work on a SmartBoard at the front of the room.

"So we're hoping that instead of the kid coming up to the board and the teacher having to do everything at the board, there's a slate that has the same software and put it in a kid's hand, they can actually show their work, a demonstration of whatever it is they're working on in that class, and they can project it right there from their desks," Buckner says. "They can work in collaborative groups and project their work."

Distance learning across the world will be possible using Elluminate Live! technology.

And "all of our classrooms have document cameras. Instead of the old overhead projectors with clear transparency and dry erase marker, now you can just put any document under these document cameras and they will project onto the screen for people to see," Buckner explains. "We have Flip video cameras in every classroom -- a few per class -- so kids are able to capture things that are occurring during the learning day. We also have digital cameras and are in the process of ordering a set of the iPod touches (iPods with high-resolution displays and multiple capabilities) so we can utilize applications with the learners."

The proximity of the museum next door will make it much easier to access exhibits and speakers who come to town, Buckner says. And there are plans in the works for student docents who will guide the public and interact with museum staff.

Diane Pancoe, the school's fifth-grade language arts and social studies coach, is a 19-year veteran. She says that never before has she had the educational resources that will be available to her this year.

"It's just amazing," she says. "There are open atriums, there's an outdoor area for learning labs, and of course it's a one-laptop-to-student school, so a lot of projects they will be able to use their laptops. The learning commons -- the library -- is an open space, not a normal school library. It's a whole different way of learning and teaching."

While the school's 300-some students -- this year grades 5-7, next year grades 5-8 -- will benefit most directly from their new digs, Buckner says there are already plans for use by other community and educational groups. And its benefits will extend not just to Akron, but the region, she says.