May 21, 2014 AdminHBA Design

Are student lockers an endangered species?

This article, originally written for the Virginian-Pilot on April 13, 2014, can be found in its entirety here: http://hamptonroads.com/2014/04/endangered-spaces-list-school-locker

A recent trend has emerged among Middle and High School students, giving full- or even half- size lockers little value. Schools are moving toward a “block schedule” (where classes are longer and meet on alternating days of the week, vs. attending every class every day of the week), e-books are loaded onto tablets, and classrooms have a set of books, which, in turn, means students no longer have a need for lockers throughout the day.

In the Planning and Design phases for the new Kellam High School, this trend became apparent to all stakeholders involved, and thus, a “rentable” locker was agreed on. A four-digit code is issued, entered once, and resets after each use. Square footage that would once have been devoted to lockers can now be utilized for learning spaces instead.

KHS Lockers_SMW

Lockers with Students_SMW