Schools can sometimes look bland and empty, but some teachers at Penn-Trafford are trying to make it fun and more educational by decorating their rooms.
P-T science teacher Samantha Redinski often does fun activities during the school year such as decorating pumpkins like famous chemists and embellishing a Christmas tree in her room with different ornaments created by her students.
Redinski stated, “I think projects help students get involved. It is good for group work to help you develop for the future because you gotta work in groups. I like to see the creative aspects of students and you don’t normally get to see that”
Redinski said she likes to decorate her classroom every year to create a different environment for her students. Last year the theme was pirates and she made her desk look like a pirate ship and put sea-related subjects all around her room.
This year, Redinski decided to make the room look like a snowy forest. She wanted to make a more relaxing environment for her students including activities to help stimulate their morale.
“I changed all my lighting to like low lighting I just kinda wanna create a more calm atmosphere for everybody so they feel relaxed and at ease,” Redinski explained. “I think I’ve noticed a difference as far as attitude and behavior and students seem to appreciate it more without the harsh lighting just being able to come in and chill. I’ve also incorporated some meditative techniques and things into my classroom, ” Redinski stated.
Jen Haberberger, an art teacher at P-T, decorates her classroom to have a creative and relaxed environment for her students. She puts pictures of loved ones, students, and past projects throughout the years up on her walls surrounding the students. Haberberger stated, “I like lots of stimulation with bright colors and I want to spark some excitement.”
P-T recently started an esports team about two years ago. The team needed room to keep all their equipment in and decided to use an old classroom outside the library for their practices and matches.
Recently the coach, social studies teacher John Carlisle, and a few other students decided to renovate the room and add cool wallpaper and new lighting to create a better environment for gaming. Carlisle stated,” There are a lot of wires around the room because of the computers, so it’s nice to have better lighting and other things that will keep the students focused on gaming and not worry about other distractions.”
Dan Edgerly, a history teacher, incorporates decorations in his classroom into his lessons with students. His classroom is decorated with an old school desk completed with inkwell, political flags on the walls, an old school iron that isn’t electric and had to be heated, and so much more.
Edgerly explained each piece can relate to a different time period for different lessons. “The barrel I have up at the front of the class references a historical means by which things were packaged and sent to different locations,” Edgerly stated.