Signorelli and Patricoski Present at 2023 NYSSBA Annual Convention & Expo

On Thursday, October 26, 2023, Nicholas Signorelli, Principal, and Rachael Patricoski, Associate Principal, presented “From Static to Dynamic: How Jamesville-Dewitt is Changing the Classroom Experience” at the 2023 NYSSBA Annual Convention & Expo in Buffalo, NY. Joining them for the presentation was Dr. Peter Smith, Superintendent of Jamesville-DeWitt Central School District. The convention was held from October 25-28. The annual event is regarded as the “most valued and trusted educational event in the state,” specifically tailored to address the roles and responsibilities of school board members and other district leaders.

Ashley McGraw’s presentation discussed a series of new spaces at Jamesville Dewitt Middle School that challenge the idea of the static classroom and create a flexible spatial toolset for instructors to support evolving learning modalities and methodologies.

The 2019 Capital Project renovations for Jamesville DeWitt’s Middle School depict a transformation of the school’s outdated and disconnected “houses” to revitalized multi-purpose spaces that actually feel like homes. J-D’s houses are connecting corridors that link both classrooms and administrative spaces to a centralized hub. The spaces that were once disconnected from the classrooms and offices they were meant to unify are now environments where large or small groups of students can engage in hands-on activities as well as traditional classroom learning. In the re-design, the center of the house becomes both the public courtyard and a spatial Swiss Army knife. With mobile partitions, the space may be divided up into multiple-size sections including a lecture layout for 70+ students to sit or creating pockets for small groups wherein students can work dynamically while remaining separate from their neighbors. One side of each flexible partition has a writable surface for group charette work. The other has tackable surface for discussion and informal critiques. The renovated spaces are now properly able to engage students with ever-changing instructional methods while also acting as gathering places for the J-D community.