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NORTHFIELD, N.J. (AP) — Middle School students write on the windows at the Northfield Community School.
They ride bikes and play with Legos in the hallways.
None of them gets in trouble.
This is Idea Street, where teachers are encouraged to not just think outside the box but to teach outside the classroom. Hallways, normally empty during much of the day, are now learning studios.
"Hallways make up 30 percent of the school space," Principal Glenn Robbins told The Press of Atlantic City (http://bit.ly/1PxC1Pd). "Why not use them?"
Idea Street is just one of the most visible efforts to create a school that can prepare students for the ever-changing job market of the future.
"We really don't know what the jobs will be for these students," Robbins said. "But we can teach them skills to be agile, flexible and adapt."
The project began in 2013 with a "bring your own device" policy that encouraged teachers to develop lessons that let students use their tablets and smartphones in class.
In 2014, the school received $20,000 in technology from the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Contest and created a television studio and Digital Shop where teacher Kevin Jarrett's students are building mini lightsabers and prosthetic hands using 3-D printers.
This year, Idea Street opened, complete with a surfboard-shaped sign Robbins and staff made over the summer.
Recently, Robbins was named one of three national 2016 Digital Principals by the National Association of Secondary School Principals. He is quick to share the credit with the teachers and students who have embraced innovation, and IT Director Aleng Phommathep, who keeps it all running.
Today, the school looks a bit like a tech startup as students work in small groups and write their ideas on windows or dry-erase boards that have replaced old bulletin boards in the hallways.
"What is your one word for 2016?" is printed at the top of one dry-erase board where students are encouraged to post answers such as "friends," ''adapt" and "determination."
"This breaks up the monotony of sitting in rows in class," seventh-grade English teacher Joanne Uhing said as students discussed a story while sitting on ergonomic Hokki stools.
"I like that I can spin around," said seventh-grader Domenic Barbella, 13, demonstrating his moves.
Sixth-grader Steven Fisher, 11, pedaled a stationary bike as he developed his thoughts on the character traits in the book "Maniac Magee."
"I have more fun on this," he said, standing on the pedals.
"It's just more relaxing," said eighth-grader Jenna Ellis, 14, as she sat at a small cafe table in the hall working on math problems. "You don't feel as tightly packed as in a classroom. It's more social. You can work with a partner face to face."
Robbins said teachers develop the projects and schedule for Idea Street.
Science teacher Adam Law got a grant to create a terrapin turtle habitat and set it up in a hallway display case that looks like a museum exhibit.
Teacher Lauren Doran is using a giant wall-mounted Lego board to develop a miniature golf course with her students. Students designed, measured and drew their ideas on white boards, then built prototypes on the Lego board. Doran's husband, Kyle, is coming in to help students build the course in a school courtyard.
English teacher Stephanie Terista's students created video games based on the book "Bud Not Buddy."
"It motivated them to read, and they had to comprehend what they were reading to design the game," she said.
Jarrett's Digital Shop class has no chairs. Students stand at work tables, moving around to get pieces for their projects, consult with other students or monitor the progress of their 3-D project in one of three printers. Jarrett works with each group, offering advice and assistance, but largely lets them figure things out for themselves. They even get to choose their own lesson.
"This is very self-directed," he said. "When they are in charge of their own learning, it gets them interested. The best classroom management is an interesting lesson that gets students engaged."
Jarrett's request to see his students daily rather than weekly generated Ed Camp, a daily period of ungraded electives offered by teachers that let eighth-graders explore new interests. Electives have included Mock Trial, Five-Minute Mysteries and claymation.
Interim Superintendent Robert Garguilo will finish his maximum two-year term at the school this year. He does not want to leave.
"I'm really going to miss this," he said as he stood in the Digital Shop under the words "Care, Think, Design, Act" printed in huge letters on the wall. "It's amazing what they are doing here."
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Information from: The Press of Atlantic City (N.J.), http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com
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