Little Kids Talk Life On Our Cameras
Enjoy These Candid Moments from a Smith System Video Shoot. What do little-ish kids really think about life? We interviewed them, on camera.
Smith System is pleased to present a series of short video clips of candid moments with a global group of kids ages 5 to 12. We asked them to share thoughts on their future, learning from home, and just about everything else, from ponies to pantomiming.
These one-minute videos will tickle your funny bone and maybe trigger a tear. Watch kids sit, wobble, rock, flop, give a ukulele serenade – and, yes, pantomime. We enjoyed every moment and hope you enjoy watching the three-part series, titled “Ambition,” “Favourite Things” and “School.”
Smith Systems thanks all of its superstar participants (and their grown-ups, who are friends and families of our parent company, Steelcase.)
Employee Spotlight–Meet Chalew Mekuria
Welcome to Employee Spotlight. For this edition of our Employee Spotlight series, get to know Chalew Mekuria. “Chalew started working on the Smith System Team in July 2016 and has been an integral part of the Smith System production team since April 2019. Chalew is productivity oriented and uses both consistency and persistence to prevail over the rigorous daily challenges the top production lines present. Chalew has a stern supervision style, however his defining quality is humility; it is truly an honor to work with him.” – Doug Lewis, VP of Manufacturing. Discover the most challenging aspect of Chalew’s job, his favorite vacation spot, and why he chooses to be a member of the Smith System team.
Transforming Older Schools into Modern Learning Spaces
“Leave no classroom behind,” could be the motto for Center Grove Community School Corporation. Case in point: What began as furnishing a single, newly built elementary school led to creating modern learning spaces in all of the district’s 180 elementary classrooms.
Brian Proctor is principal of the district’s new Walnut Grove Elementary School, which opened in Fall 2019. He was also on the new school’s design team. Early on, it faced a dilemma common to many growing districts.
Esports: Creating Spaces That Turn Gaming Fun into Learning
The meteoric rise in high school esports shows it’s much more than child’s play. Esports has blossomed into a hot topic of conversation for its legit learning, spanning from K–12 to higher ed.
Reconfigure and Retrofit: Creating Safer Post-COVID Classrooms
Some teachers remain reluctant to take learning outside. They worry students will lose focus. But as researcher Ming Kuo said, “You can add as much instructional time as you want and keep pouring, but once that cup is full, it’s full. You have to find ways to give kids more capacity to take [information] in.” Being in nature seems to increase that capacity.
Outside Classrooms: Even Small Doses Can Help Counter Nature-Deficit Disorder
Some teachers remain reluctant to take learning outside. They worry students will lose focus. But as researcher Ming Kuo said, “You can add as much instructional time as you want and keep pouring, but once that cup is full, it’s full. You have to find ways to give kids more capacity to take [information] in.” Being in nature seems to increase that capacity.
Virtual Reality in the Classroom
Imagine a student so viscerally immersed in learning that it’s dizzying. Literally. That’s the power of using virtual reality in the classroom, and it’s capturing the attention of K–12 educators.
Employee Spotlight–Meet Jesus Anorve-Garcia
Have you ever wondered who works on and fixes the machinery at Smith System? Well, meet Jesus. He has been working at Smith System for the past eight years. Lately, Jesus has been assembling and moving our production lines from Plano to the new facility. He is one of the only people who knows how all of the machinery at Smith System works.
Future-Proof Furniture Fills New K–8 Leadership Academy
If modern K–12 education design had a mascot, it’d be a chameleon. Just like those color-morphing lizards, learning spaces and furniture must functionally adapt over their live span for every grade level and possible pedagogy. It’s called future-proofing.
Groove® Brings Great Design + Ergonomics to Any Learning Space
Just like its counterculture-vibe name, Smith’s new K-12 Groove chair questions the norm: Why can’t every school have the best learning environment without paying top dollar, especially when it comes to chairs? Groove makes it possible, says Dorsey Cox, the award-winning designer behind Groove and the founder of Alabama-based Dorsey Cox Design.
Smith System Studio: 3d Printable Barrier Screen Stands
Beginning today, anyone can download our free design file to create a basic 3D plastic stand for making classroom screens. Aer printing the stand, students simply slide any type of firm material into the slots, like plywood, cardboard from collapsed boxes or foam board, to create an upright barrier.
QuickShip Program Updates
You can be sure that as we continue to serve you, we’re taking every precaution to keep our employees safe. We’ve painted social distancing cues on our shop floors, provided PPE and, among other things, we are performing temperature checks.