Do you ever find yourself fighting the urge to fall asleep in class or wishing for a new learning environment? At Haldane, students are taking new steps toward making learning more engaging: standing desks.
These desks, crafted and brought into the school by senior Louis Ferreira as part of an Eagle Scout project for the Boy Scouts of America, offer students a dynamic and alternate learning experience. Inspired by his need for an interactive learning space, Louis created desks to help students focus. In addition, they were designed to enhance student engagement and accessibility for learners with and without disabilities.
What did students who preferred to stand do before the desks arrived at Haldane? It differed between students and the type of classroom they were in. Ferreira’s personal experiences demonstrated this variation: “I would specifically use elevated areas [that were in classrooms] like a podium in Mrs. Isabella’s classroom,” he stated, “or the lab tables in science classrooms.”
Inspired by this podium in his 11th-grade English class, Ferreira worked with Haldane sophomores Henry Foley-Hedlund and Lachlan Koch, freshmen Oscar Cheah, Max Kupper, Aurelius Drinnon, and Beren Kolarek, as well as community volunteers Patrick Ferreira, Aiden Normae, and Jude Morrison to accomplish this project and contribute to the Haldane community.
Eagle Scout projects are designed to be public endeavors that benefit the community. The project is a requirement to become an Eagle Scout; it cannot be used for the benefit of the person who created it and requires the approval of the Eagle Scout community. “The goal of an Eagle Scout project for a person hosting one is organizational capacity,” Ferreira said. He brought his vision to life with materials from local business Dain’s Lumber in Peekskill, which also provided discounts for Eagle Scout projects.
Ferreira also had to go through different administrative levels to get the desks to Haldane and approve the idea. The process included paperwork, meeting with Principal Julia Sniffen, getting administrative approval, ensuring that his proposal had gotten approved by the Eagle Scout community, and accomplishing his objective. The project took a lot of time to complete altogether. “It took several months,” Ferreira said. Ferreira raised the money needed for the project through donations from his siblings, aunts, and other family members.
Not only do the new standing desks have the potential to help students, but they are also great resources for teachers who may find these desks helpful as they provide a new location or change of scenery for grading student work. Haldane’s English teacher, Ashley Linda, said these desks were an amazing addition to Haldane. “I’m appreciative that he would do something for his Eagle Scout project that would positively impact the Haldane community specifically to focus on students,” Linda said. Furthermore, she commended Ferreira’s process of bringing these desks to the school. “The process of Louis putting out the Google form, gauging interest, talking to people [about the project], sharing why he thought it was necessary, and giving [teachers] the option if they wanted it or not, was good.”
Some students in the Haldane community have expressed that they believe the desks are a welcome addition to the Haldane classrooms. Freshman Petra Brooks-Saladyga uses the desks frequently throughout her classes. “I love these desks and loved that Louis added them to the school,” she stated. Other students, such as freshman Scout Thakur deBeer, agreed that these desks are good additions to Haldane despite not seeing herself using them during class in the future. “I think [the desks] are great! I don’t think I would use them, but I think they are an excellent resource to have around. A lot of people would prefer standing desks [to] having to sit still for the majority of the day, so I think it’s a good thing we have them as an option [at Haldane].”
Overall, standing desks at Haldane represent a step towards making classes a more engaging and adaptable learning environment. Students and staff can make use of the standing desks in the following classrooms: Room HS 110, HS 114, HS 115, HS 117, HS 126, HS 211, and MM 201.
