The Franklin Area School District libraries have some new residents, including robots and guinea pigs, sharing space with books this year.
The rooms have an entirely new look, as over the summer, with the aid of Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) III funding, the district completed transformation of the libraries into spaces that, in addition to books, house interactive areas where students can explore STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math).
The renovated rooms — variously called STEM rooms, media centers, maker spaces, and, still, the libraries — are geared toward collaboration, flexibility and interactive learning, with new tables and chairs that can be easily moved around on new flooring.
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