Page 12 - FIS World Feb 2019

Nooks and Crannies
From creative collaboration to ‘chillaxing’ at the Stroth Center
It’s a chilly Friday afternoon. The first semester, filled with stimulating learning and a
healthy dosage of deadline anxiety, is minutes away from ending. Where on the Oberursel Campus could one find a group of seniors quietly chatting while being tucked away from the view of onlookers? An easy guess would be sitting snugly in the nook and cranny of the
“doughnut,” the high back, round sitting area, in one of the well-used collaboration spaces on the second floor of the Stroth Center.
FIS well knows that open, common
areas promote collaboration with others – places for thinking it
out together and challenging each other in
a supportive environment.
The result of a collective project bringing together FIS and business partners gave our school community the Stroth Center’s inviting collaboration spaces. With generous donations from Accenture, DAW, ING-DiBa, Merck, Procter & Gamble, and the Falk Family, these spaces with their cozy chairs, poufs and sofas, working tables, colorful materials and cool modern aesthetic, are a hit among students and teachers alike.
Jana Schlichtenberg, Assistant Director of Finance and
Colorful and cozy spaces abound in the Stroth Center, including a ‘green room’ (top), round ‘doughnut’ sitting area (middle) and innovation center (bottom)
Operations at FIS, said that prior to the introduction of these spaces, the school frequently received feedback from students that they had “no place to go.” Students needed spaces that were not used by teachers or had not been reserved for meetings. According to
Ms. Schlichtenberg, the intent was to create non-reservable spaces, areas where students could “just meet, chat, do quiet work, be inspired by learning, calm down and relax.”These spaces became hide away nooks and welcoming crannies for students to go to between classes, during free time and after school.
“Chillaxing” with his computer while sitting in a corner nook of a common conference-like space was senior, Axel. An FIS student since Grade 4, he remembers the old sports hall but feels the Stroth Center with its
“comfortable, open spaces to work in and to relax” is a marked improvement. One of the largest collaboration spaces within the Stroth Center has a gorgeous, rustic wooden table, beautiful natural light, and a homey feel with small potted plants set along the wide window frame. The sky beyond echos Emily Dickinson’s words stencilled on one of the walls, “The brain is wider than the sky.” Inspiring space with inspiring words; there is no doubt why Axel and his group of friends choose to come together in this collaboration space on a regular basis for studying, socializing and relaxing.
Shared spaces spark good synergies. Upper School Science and Math teacher, Kelly Garner, is a “big fan of collaborative spaces.” She says that the larger
“not always defined spaces
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