Walk into most Mason classrooms, and you’ll see worn desks and old chairs. 

But in the classrooms of math teachers Mr. Thomas and Ms. Sherard, computer science teacher Mr. Snyder, and history teacher Mr. Singer, four different furniture companies have supplied brand new furniture as tests for the new school building, coming in 2021. The rooms all have unique colors and provide different takes on the student experience. 

Mr. Thomas’s furniture is all on wheels and built for collaboration. It has chairs with desks attached, and some tables. The chairs and tables are arranged around the room, with the chairs in quadrants. Chairs come in gray, orange, and green. Backpacks can be stored under the chairs or can be hung on the armrest, out of the way.

Mr. Thomas had high praise for his new classroom.

“The furniture is very functional, and easy to move,” he said. “It supports collaboration. It’s mobile, the students can store backpacks and their stuff easily when you move around the classroom.”

Ms. Sherard’s classroom has large desks and chairs in modern-looking shapes, and are mostly arranged into groups of four. Ms. Sherard is also very happy with her new furniture.

“I like that [the furniture] is very versatile and flexible, and you can put them in lots of different positions. It’s good for collaboration, but it’s also good for individual work,” she said. “And I like the size of the desks. You get more space.” 

Yet the one drawback is that the furniture lacks storage space, according to Ms. Sherard.

Mr. Snyder’s classroom consists of a couch on one side of the room, and a mix between raised tables and normal desks, all in gray, green, and blue. The space is more relaxed than the rest of the school’s standard desks.

Mr. Snyder’s students like the new furniture.

“[The furniture] is really cool. Our chairs have wheels on them, so if you have to ask someone a question, you can just be on your chair and sit, but still meet them.” sophomore Smridhi Madan said.

When asked about the downsides of the new furniture, she only had one complaint. “It can be kind of distracting.”

Mr. Singer’s classroom has red chairs and desks arranged in semi circles around the room. The desks are curved, giving the furniture a more modern look. 

“I like that the new furniture is forcing me to be creative with how I set up my classroom and how students engage with each other in the new classroom,” said Mr. Singer. 

“One thing I’ve heard students complain about is the undercarriage under the desks. It doesn’t leave enough room for their legs.” 

This furniture may appear in the new school building, and it’s up to the student body to decide which they will be using. Students can vote on what furniture they like best by scanning the QR code outside all four of  the classroom doors.