Conant, Schaumburg high schools sport updated media centers

Editor's note: Information for this article was contributed by Conant High School students Annika Lafyatis and Katherine Garcia-Mabry and Schaumburg High School student Christian Samudio

Conant High School in Hoffman Estates and Schaumburg High School received extensive renovations of their media centers (once called libraries) in 2015. The renovations at Schaumburg were done early in the year, while the ones at Conant were unveiled around Thanksgiving.

The goal, according to Schaumburg High School Assistant Principal Rusty Cumings was to create a space conducive to 21st century learning. "The future holds many technological advances, and getting accustomed to a media center with so much technological opportunity, such as the one at SHS, is in the best interest of everyone who wants to move on to what's to come," he said.

The media center offers more than 300 electrical outlets for students to charge their devices, new furniture, and a glass room for students and staff who want a "super-quiet study." Also new is Siege's Corner, a coffee cafe located in the back of the media center.

Sue Elk, the Media Center Department chair, has noticed differences in the way the space is used.

"More departments are coming in," she said. "The silence the room provides is really drawing them in. The tables are really able to be used in any way you want, whether it be for large groups such as classrooms, or for students wanting to work on a project."

At Conant, decisions on how to design the media center were a collaborative effort, with Paul Kim, the school's technology coordinator and media department chair, holding focus groups with students. Head Librarian Cindy Taylor said she helped pick out furniture.

A distinctive feature of the entry area is a 635-gallon freshwater aquarium. The idea originated in the focus groups and the student council, booster club and senior class raised the money for it by holding fundraisers.

Robert Small, assistant principal for building and grounds at Conant, said the library has an emphasis on comfortable spaces and furniture for student collaboration. Computers and books are less prominent, but there are more areas to charge iPads. Moveable walls can be used to divide the space into sections that can be adjusted when desired. A juice bar with booth-style seating was added so students can have a relaxing place to eat and work. It also will contain vending machines for snacks and drinks.

The budget for the project was $700,000, funded mainly through property taxes. The district used its own crew of workers. Small said that it would have cost approximately three times as much to outsource the project.