July 27, 2006

NO MORE BLAND INTERIORS

Who says schools have to be bland and beige?  Not anymore....  Read how five schools drew their inspirations for interior design from the great outdoors.  Each has a different look that is relevant to their surroundings while keeping the students and faculties interest.  See how schools can be both functional and beautiful at the same time

NO MORE BLAND INTERIORS
 
by Michael Fickes
Time was, interior designs for schools imitated the worst examples of institutional blandness. But times change. 
 
Today’s newest school designs challenge the assumption that a school must look bland and institutional. Where did that idea come from anyway? Certainly not from Sandstone, Minn., which recently opened a new K-12 school that brings the great outdoors indoors. Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood has no time for boring school interiors, either. Witness the new Whittier Elementary School and its maritime interior design themes. In Dearborn, Mich., the new Michael Berry Career Center has adopted an exciting industrial design look. Milford High School in Highland, Mich., recently turned its new recreation center into a zoo. And if you don’t care for design themes, you can follow the lead of St. Benedict at Auburndale High School and design interiors with the look of sleek new furnishings. Institutional design? Well, these five schools are institutions. So their designs are institutional. But they are not, by any stretch of the imagination, bland.

To read more about how and where schools get the inspiration for their interiors, click here.
 

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July 26, 2006

ONE FOR YOU, ONE FOR ME:

How do you make sure you equally distribute the school districts budget for furniture between 47 schools?  That's the challenge Kathy Ely faces everyday when she works to provide the best facilities for the 30,000 students in her district.  Read how Kathy Ely, Spokane's director of Purchasing Services, shares her district's secrets for ensuring everyone's satisfaction.  

ONE FOR YOU, ONE FOR ME:

by Ellen Kollie 

Here's how administrators at Spokane Public Schools make sure all teachers have the furniture they need. 

Most administrators would agree that they would rather see money go directly toward student education than toward furniture purchases. And most would agree that they do their best to make sure this happens.

Even so, there are times when money simply must be spent on furniture, whether for replacing worn desks and chairs or for outfitting new facilities. When this happens, it's important for teachers to feel that the money has been well spent and the furniture both evenly distributed and distributed where it's most needed. The process needs to feel equitable and fair.

With six high schools, six middle schools and 35 elementary schools serving close to 30,000 students, administrators in Spokane Public Schools, in Washington, know what a challenge it can be to equitably distribute furniture throughout schools. Kathy Ely, Spokane's director of Purchasing Services, shares her district's secrets for ensuring everyone's satisfaction.

To learn more about how Kathy Ely distributes furniture throughout her schools, click here.

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IMPRESSIONS COUNT

We have always heard first impressions count... but thought it referred more to having a spot on your tie or smudged makeup.  This article talks about how first impressions of your educational facility buildings and furniture decor influence the decisions of prospective teachers in making their contract signing decisions.  In an age of teacher shortages, the physical surrounding that the teachers will be working in are influencing which school contracts they accept and sign.  

IMPRESSIONS COUNT

by DR. SCOTT M. KOENIGSKNECHT 

According to a recent study, potential teachers are influenced by their impressions of the educational facilities in which they will be working during the interview process.

Most of us have heard the story of the heavily recruited college athlete who visits a multitude of campuses only to settle for the one with the most advanced, state-of-the-art facilities. This scenario is played out hundreds of times a year on college campuses across the country. Colleges and universities spend hundreds of millions of dollars designing and building facilities that will draw the best athletes to their campuses.

What most of us don't know, however, is the fact that public school teachers also place a high degree of importance on the condition of a district's facilities when contemplating a job offer. Often times, highly qualified and heavily recruited teachers choose to accept contracts with school districts with better facilities. This notion is incredibly powerful and should make all districts examine the role their facilities play in the hiring of new teachers.

To read more about how first impressions impact teacher recruiting, click here

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School Furniture On The Move

This article discusses how the changes in school furniture design are actually helping schools in many ways.  School administrators and designers are able to move furniture around the classrooms based on ever changing curriculum needs instead of having to discard and re-buy furniture.  Buying moveable furniture provides the school the ability to offer more flexibility in school classroom design

School Furniture On The Move

by Michael Fickes 

Is built-in school furniture becoming a thing of the past?

As the interior designer worked her way down the furniture punch list at the then new Olathe Northwest High School in Olathe, Kan., she marveled at all the furniture moving through the halls. The school was preparing to open (in September of 2003) and the district’s facilities department was swapping furniture among rooms to get ready.

The custodial staff was moving desks, chairs, and storage cabinets out of a classroom and carting it off. Other workers were carrying lightweight conference tables and a wheeling a custom-made console with electrical and data connections into the room.

The school had just inked an agreement to offer students a distance-learning language lab through a university two hours away. Fortunately, the school’s flexible furniture design made it possible to design and build a distance learning language lab in a couple hours.

“They didn’t have to hire anyone to come in and rip stuff out of the wall; they just moved it,” says the designer, Pegge Breneman, IIDA, who heads up the interior design department at the Hollis & Miller Group, an architectural firm in Overland Park, Kan.

 To read more about this, click here.

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Ninety Percent Find Internet Helpful to Business

Survey Results from the Educational Dealer Magazine

This article details how schools are using the Internet and how it affects the way they are growing. The article tells about how often schools go online, how helpful the Internet is, what search engines they use to find solutions online and more. Here is a sample

Ninety Percent Find Internet Helpful to Business
The Internet is becoming an omnipresent entity: it’s at home, at work and even on your cell phone. And 90 percent of those who responded to our last survey told us that the Internet and/or e-mail was helpful to their business. In fact, three-quarters of respondents go online daily to find manufacturers and locate new products. Read on for more results from our last survey, “How Do You Use the Internet?”

To read the entire article and learn more, click here.

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July 25, 2006

Top 10 Back to School Furniture Buying Tips

By Wren Ovard
Here it is, the middle of summer, and someone mentions Back to School Furniture.  How can that be when the temperature tops 100 degrees?  But it’s true, while the kids are enjoying summer camps and parks, the school systems are planning for the next school year. 
Now is the time for school administrators to be determining their needs for the next school year in relation to furniture and supplies.  If you wait any longer, you may not be able to get the school furniture delivered in time to open the doors in the fall.  With that in mind, here at the top 10 tips for School Furniture buying.

 

1.     Order now, order early! This is the season and if you don’t get your orders in now, your furniture may not arrive before the students.  Remember, yours is not the only school needing new preschool or school furniture and planning to open within just a few short weeks.  Don’t wait so long your order is in the bottom of the pile.

 

2.      Order quick ship colors & models.  While you might just love that lime green classroom desk and chair set combination, do you have the time it takes for special orders?  Another thought is how will you find 20 new matching sets, in five years, to that unique item when the time comes that more are needed.  In the interest of simplicity and continuity, order stock colors and models.  Their delivery cycle will be shorter and most likely they will be better priced.

 

3.      Save on shipping charges by ordering items made by the same manufacturer.  This seems obvious, but many school systems don’t realize the saving they may have by buying multiple times from the same manufacturer.  Not only will you save shipping charges, the items will coordinate with each other since they are from the same manufacturer and you may be able to get better pricing due to larger orders.  Look for and do business with distributors that can offer you not only the standard school desks but also offers a wide range of products such as library furniture, activity tables, cafeteria tables, computer furniture, chalkboards, easels, room dividers and display cases.  Make sure to look at the total picture when selecting a distributor.  Being able to acquire many things from the same distributor saves shipping cost, time, money and headaches.  The distributor is much more likely to provide superior customer service and order tracking if you place orders for multiple items.

 

4.      Need freight special services?  Inside delivery, call before delivery, liftgate?  Think ahead, isn’t that what we tell the students?  This is also true when your furniture order is to be delivered.  Make sure you and the delivery company have the same understanding of the delivery, time, place and circumstances.  You do not want to be scrambling trying to get furniture onto a loading dock without the proper equipment.  Not only do you risk damaging the new furniture, but also injury to your staff.

 

5.      Inspect all cartons during delivery; don’t wait until school is back in session.  Don’t assume anything.  Take the time now, at the time of the delivery, to inspect the delivery cartons to make sure they are not damaged.  If you wait until school is back in session to inspect the cartons and contents, and there is damage, you will not know when or how the damage occurred.  By signing for the delivery, you are stating that the furniture was delivered properly and in good condition.  If there is a problem, identify it at the delivery time and work towards appropriate resolution.  The furniture company, delivery company and school will be much more satisfied with the end results.

 

6.      Include summer delivery contact person & phone number.  Not all schools are open every day all summer long.  Make sure the order contains the contact information for the person responsible for receiving the furniture cartons.  And by all means, let the responsible person know they will be contacted with delivery details, and that they are able to fulfill this obligation.  See item 5 concerning the responsibility of the receiving person.  It might be a good idea to have some staff available that can assist in the inspection of the cartons and contents so as not to delay the delivery company.

 

7.      Call us for chair & table height suggestions.  One size does not fit all when it comes to school furniture.  Discuss what age group the school furniture is intended for when placing the initial order to make sure you are selecting the appropriate size of furniture.  There is a wide variety of products available that are designed for specific ages and activities such as computer desks and activity tables.  Mistakes will be costly in time and money if the wrong size furniture is ordered.

 

8.      Call us about space requirements or weight capacities.  Is this furniture going to be stationary or moving around a multipurpose room?  The intended use may impact the type, size and weight of furniture you should be considering for purchase.  Measure twice, order once.  It will save you time, money and frustration.

 

9.      Spend new budget money now.  Don’t wait till the end of your fiscal year and then try to get something delivered and invoiced in time to meet your deadline.  Think about what your needs are in relation to your budget money and submit your order early in the budget cycle.  You are better assured of getting the furniture you want and need if ordered early.

 

10.   Order age appropriate chairs and desks to insure student’s comfort.  If a student is uncomfortable in their chair or desk, it will have a negative impact on their concentration and school performance.  See item 7, and make sure the size of the furniture grows with the students.  Feet not being able to touch the floor or knees hitting the underside of the desk make for unhappy uncomfortable students and poor attention.

 

Use these tips to help your school furniture vendor delight you with a positive experience for all involved.  A little forethought goes a long way in the preparation for a successful school opening for the upcoming year.

 

Wren Ovard is head of online sales and technology for WorthingtonDirect.com (http://www.worthingtondirect.com) the leader in school and church wholesale furniture. She may be reached at wren@worthingtondirect.com.

 

 

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