Many Hackley Students use the resources Hackley provides as a platform to enhance their writing, reading, and studying, with some classrooms available during periods, the Sternberg library’s seating, and its 4 accompanying study rooms. However, with the introduction of Middle School access, and the noise, many students find that they are unable to find quiet places during the school day to do work. With the completion of the new Center for Creative Arts and Technology, the successor to the old Performing Arts Center (PAC), Hackley has the opportunity to use classroom spaces, such as Computer Science Classrooms in the Middle and Upper School, and the Visual and Performing Arts Classrooms in the Middle School to address the growing opinion on the lack of study space at Hackley.
During the school day, and particularly during lunch, Hackley students, from both the Middle School and Upper School divisions, use the Library as a space to read, check out books, get some work done and study. Unfortunately, during the school day, especially during Community Time, and Lunch blocks, the library can be loud, due to the number of students using the space, and also the noise that travels into the space from the Senior lounge. Another complaint is that with the introduction of Middle School students having access during certain periods, they take up around half the seats in the library, approx. 25 seats. Often during those times, Upper Schoolers are trying to get work done on their English paper, or study for their upcoming history test, and can’t find a seat due to some being cornered off, sometimes left unused during the period. However during Middle School lunch (11am-12pm, third/long period for Upper Schoolers), the library fills up with Middle School students, who will often make a lot of noise, making it difficult for Upper Schoolers to try to get work done in the library itself, sometimes having to go elsewhere, to the bridge, or attempt to find an empty classroom. While Upper Schoolers have access to quiet spaces to work, including access to the Sternberg Libraries’ 4 study rooms, when available, Middle Schoolers don’t have as many spaces to go during the day. While their schedules are more defined, with study halls and no free periods, during those times they either have to go to Allen Hall, a space that doesn’t allow for great work, as it does not have desks and can be very loud. And for the study rooms, the limited number of rooms available for usage, four, makes it difficult for students to get one, often having to rush to the library at the start of a period, or the start of lunch just to get one for that period.
Hackley is building a new building, the Center for Creative Arts and technology, and with its opening, new spaces and classrooms will open up. Hackley has the opportunity to use these spaces to its advantage and turn them into study rooms and spaces, including the two computer labs near the library, for students to use, or the classrooms in the Middle School, to build a space dedicated to those students, freeing up yet more space in the library. This would allow more space for Upper Schoolers, and a faster easier accessible location for Middle Schoolers to work and hang out. And all it takes is some planning and a some time to build and get the spaces ready.
