(Somerville, NJ – September 28, 2017) Yesterday, the dancker and Steelcase Education team celebrated the ribbon cutting of the new Active Learning Center at Toms River High School North. This classroom was made possible through a Steelcase Education ALC Grant valued at $65,000.

The classroom is used by sophomore and junior English classes taught by Kit Coe and Mike Pape.

Over the summer, members of the district’s Facilities Department worked to overhaul the classroom to get it ready for the installation of the furniture. The crews repainted the room, refurbished the floors, removed old desks, cabinets and blinds, and completed other necessary repairs and cleaning. The new classroom follows the design of Steelcase’s Verb classroom and boasts flexible seating arrangements, sit/stand options, rolling whiteboards, and a Campfire Lounge where students and teachers will be able to sit in a more relaxed setting and collaborate on projects together. The outdated static classroom with traditional desks and the classic lecture style of teaching was replaced with a more learner-active approach. In turn, students are more engaged, able to collaborate in groups or work individually, and can use other resources and tools that will supplement their traditional textbooks for an enhanced learning experience.

Learn more click here

Toms River Regional Schools was one of 15 recipients of this grant and is the only school in the tri-state area that was selected. The district is excited to see how the new classroom will transform traditional teaching and learning styles and looks forward to using the new space as a model classroom for future updates continuing professional development in the area of “Learner-Active, Technology-Infused Classrooms” (LATIC).