Transformation: a thorough or dramatic change in form or appearance.

Over the past few years, the Middle School Payne Library, now known as the Payne Student Center, has been transformed into a hub of Internet research, collaboration, and learning on the downtown campus. Investments were made in furniture, technology, paint, carpet, artwork, and branding. In addition to these items, an Ideapaint wall and Lego wall were added to the learning space. The entire space is now adaptive and can be adjusted quickly based on need as the majority of the furniture is on wheels and the tables can be folded flat and moved aside. Using this flexible space, as well as all other learning spaces on campus, we are also working to build flexible and creative thinkers and shifting away from teacher-directed learning and towards increased hands-on collaborative problem-solving and learning, as well as the application and synthesis of learning.

Throughout the COMENIUS schedule, students can be seen completing research on laptops and iPads, moving around the space to complete learning stations, using iPads with lightning keyboards to write, engaging in active conversation, reading books and periodicals for classroom and personal use, creating videos for Filmfest and MSBG, debating in small and large groups, and relaxing and talking. The new furniture includes kite tables, pod chairs, stools, couches and chairs, and individual desks with chairs. As the SCORE program (Student-Centered Original Research Experience) for seventh grade and a new Science Expo for sixth grade launch this school year, students will also be able to use the Student Center to be even more creative, to make connections beyond and within the Moravian Academy community, to collaborate with their teacher mentor or other students, and to design a presentation that will showcase their final project.