A new school year is like a new chapter in a book, building on the past and introducing what comes next. Each chapter brings new ideas as the characters grow. And more often than you may realize, it’s the students affecting the narrative.

“Teachers have a passion for helping children reach their full potential. But students are also driving change,” explains Aaron Snyder, Senior Manager, Product Marketing at HNI Workplace Furnishings. “They’re used to being on the move, engaged in different ways in different places. That’s spilling into the classroom, and how they engage with furniture in the classroom is rapidly evolving.”

Here are five product ideas to help your school support this evolution in the coming year.

1. Arrange Desks to Create Dynamic Environments

Capturing children’s attention in a world increasingly full of distractions is already a challenge. After a summer of binge-watching and endless entertainment on screens large and small, it’s no wonder students struggle to maintain focus, and fitness.

But sedentary habits may have lifelong consequences. Researchers at Duke University studied more than 1,000 students for eight years, measuring their financial stability and overall health. The results suggest the capacity to concentrate is one of the best predictors of positive outcomes as students transition into early adulthood.

Turn movement into momentum with HON’s flexible Build™ series desks, designed to group together in clever clusters. From traditional shapes to whimsical Fin, Ribbon, and Spooky desktop outlines, students will benefit from the break from the ordinary and stay better engaged throughout the day.

Featured Product: SmartLink™ and Build™ series desks

2. Protect Your Educational Investment

Ask Any Educator How Much It Costs to Be a Teacher Today and the Numbers Might Surprise You. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, 94% Of Teachers Spend Nearly $500 Out Of Their Own Pockets Every Year on Necessary Classroom Supplies.

Parents Often Pay Twice That. The Huntington Backpack Index, Created in Conjunction with Communities In Schools, Estimates Parents Pay More than $1,000 a Year on School Supply Lists, Extracurricular Activity Fees, and Technology Costs. Effective Storage Solutions Are Essential to Protecting Those Investments.

HON’s SmartLink® mobile storage solutions come in a variety of sizes, colors, and configurations to ensure all of those valuable materials and devices are easily accessible, and any extras are ready for use in the future.

3. Encourage “Campfires” for Small Group Learning

Working in teams is typically reserved for longer projects, but shorter and more frequent small groups can be brief, informal, and expressive. They also help avoid social pressures and exclusion that may form over longer durations. Even Harvard’s Kennedy School is committed to the technique as a better way to generate fresh ideas and deepen learning.

Support small group collaboration in your classrooms through a campfire approach with HON’s Build series Horseshoe and Arc tables. For individuals or pairs, Build’s Half Round tables create personal space for focused study time.

4. Incorporate Classroom Safety into Routines

According to the CDC, there are more than 4 million classroom injuries reported every year, and 80% of students visit a school nurse at least once during elementary school. Charging cables that have become part of our digital world can present a tripping hazard, but so can crowded aisles and narrow spaces between desks. Smarter storage and seating can help.

HON’s SmartLink seating comes in hundreds of color and style combinations, allowing you to choose the features and finishes that best suit your school’s needs and budget. Adding a book basket underneath gives every student a space of their own. Backpack hooks for Build series desks are another way to keep floors clear from personal belongings and safer for everyone.

5. Create Casual Community Spaces for Informal Learning

School floor plans used to be rigidly defined with designated spaces intended for a single context. The introduction of multiple-purpose rooms decades ago that could quickly shift from cafeteria to gymnasium to auditorium and back again were, in hindsight, a glimpse of the future.

Today’s common areas are even more flexible, and now include layouts that may look more like coworking spaces, allowing students autonomy and teachers additional venues for lessons that benefit from fewer formalities.

HON’s distinctive Skip™ seating offers an inviting alternative to traditional settings. The subtle reclining angle and sculpted base are a stark, organic contrast ideal for libraries and common areas. And the integrated handle and durable, UV-resistant finish make it easy to move outdoors for an even more dramatic change of classroom scenery.

Mobility, flexibility, safety: Start your new year right with these things in mind, and your students—and parents—will thank you.

Featured Product: Skip™