The P.A.K. Student Academic Commons located on the main floor of Burk Hall officially opened this morning. This innovative student learning center fully funded by Mr. and Mrs. Paul Karpers, P '19, features 13 computer work stations, a wireless printer, a whiteboard, a 70-inch television monitor, and Wi-Fi accessibility for up to 80 devices.
"The boys needed a place where they could work collaboratively," said Principal John Marinacci. "It's very much a model for educational spaces in schools in the 21st century, a place where you can come and check your email, convene, talk, and work as a group."
The room was opened for a brief period in previous weeks to get feedback from students, who flocked to the space with enthusiasm. During this time, students were able to watch Pope Francis's address to congress during his visit to the United States.
"There is a lot of flexibility in the room," said Mr. Steve Morrill, Director of Technology. "With our sophomore 1:1 pilot program there are plenty of charging stations for their Microsoft Surface devices and an additional 13 computer stations for students not involved in the pilot program."
Additionally, the 70-inch monitor mounted in the corner of the room serves a couple different purposes.
"They can pull in broadcast television, see important announcements from the school throughout the day, and most importantly, wirelessly stream content from their devices so that if they are working on a group project, everyone can see what's going on."
The furniture can also be easily manipulated so that if students want or need to break away and form separate groups or work individually, they can.
Of course this space would not be possible without the generous support of the Karpers family and we thank them for helping make this a place on campus for our Dons to collaborate and grow.
"Amanda and I have fallen in love with Loyola and we are blown away to see this all come together and the amount of work people have put into it," said Mr. Karpers. "It really exceeds all of our expectations."
