When the new Warren Elementary School opens Sept. 21, staff, teachers and students will see a major difference.

“It is fundamentally different in regards to its design,” said Warren Local School Superintendent Kyle Newton.

There are few hallways and each grade level is self-contained in an area designed specifically for that grade. Each grade “pod” will have shared spaces and bathrooms that are for only that grade.

“Truthfully, it’s more efficient in design. You don’t have long walkways of dead space. You don’t have to worry about transitions or lost time (traveling hallways),” Newton said. “You can have complete collaboration with teachers.”

At the core of each pod is a shared space that can be used in a variety of ways. It can be used for small group instruction or direct instruction for more than one class.

“It could be used for re-teaching, acceleration … it could be used for lots of different things,” he explained. “Two classes could be outside receiving direct instruction for 15 minutes, then go back into regular classes.”

He said with 50 teachers, those flex spaces could be used 50 different ways.

Teachers and students will also notice each classroom has its own sink and built in cabinetry. There are lockers for students, but above are storage spaces for teachers. Each pod will have a workspace with plenty of storage that teachers could use however they need. The work rooms could have copiers, refrigerators, laminators, storage for reading books for each level, or even space for poster making.

“It will make it easier for collaborators,” Newton said.

There will also be a smaller classroom that is another flex space. It will be usable for meetings, small group instruction, testing or related services such as counseling.

“It has maximum flexibility,” he noted.

Newton said when the school was in the initial design phase, they looked at several points, including communication, collaboration and flexibility. He added 750 students was a lot in kindergarten through fourth grade, so they didn’t want the school to feel cold or rigid.

“I feel comfortable when I come in,” he said. “When you are going into the second grade, it won’t feel weird, but it will be the same (function as the first grade pod), but it will be facing the other way.”

First and second grade pods were added to the first floor, while the third and fourth grades are upstairs. The odd numbered grades will be at the side of the building facing Ohio 339, Newton said.

By the stairs leading to the pods is a set of “gathering stairs.” Newton saw it in a school in Columbus and thought the possibility for instruction was endless. The extra cost would be small in regards to the return on investment.

“Multiple classes could be in the space for a presentation,” he said. “There could be a movie night or after school events.”

He said it was the kind of space you don’t usually find in an elementary school. It is also unusual to find multiple spaces that can be used for multiple things.

“There could be one or two classes in the gathering area, one or two grades in the cafeteria, and the entire school could be in the gym,” he explained.

As the facilities are used by the community, the community had input into the design. The gym is about 94 feet long and probably 90 feet wide, Newton said. As they will have multiple gyms that size in the district, they would be able to host tournaments in the future.

Two playgrounds were recently installed that will separate out the younger grades. There is a smaller playground near the main entrance for special needs kids, along with those in pre-kindergarten and kindergarten. Kids in grades 1 through 4 have a much larger playground at the back of the school.

Design firm Fanning Howey noted in one of the district’s community updates that there are also many safety and security items added to the school.

In the landscaping, there is no ground cover plantings within 6 feet to 12 feet of pedestrian walk paths and no landscaping blocks the view from building of approaching individuals. Parking areas are well lighted and visitor parking areas are in a viewable area with direct access to a controlled entry point to the school.

Exterior doors are electronically locked with a single entry point for visitors, with electronic access for all staff and lockdown buttons in several areas.

Teachers have been touring the school to get a feel for what the new school year will be like. Newton said he spent all of Friday doing tours and will do more this Friday. Teachers will be able to move in the week of Labor Day.

It isn’t just the design of the interior of the school that impresses those who tour it. The work being done is “phenomenal,” Newton added.

“The people doing the work are doing such a phenomenal job. So many of these people are community people,” he said. “People that live 10 minutes from the school. They live in surrounding school districts, but there is a sense of pride in their work.”