While putting together a proposal, librarian Brigetta Del Re ran out of room on her whiteboard, which interrupted her planning process. This experience made Del Re think that students need somewhere that they can brainstorm without interruptions.

The library classroom has been transformed into the new Think Tank, which has whiteboards covering all of the walls to help students brainstorm for projects or formulate possible solutions to questions.

Del Re was inspired by a similar room at South Fayette High School. While South Fayette uses a round room, the concept is the same: to provide a student or a group of students a place to to brainstorm, troubleshoot, or plan activities without having to stop due to a lack of space.

“The idea behind the Think Tank is to have a continuity of ideas, freely flowing and not interrupted by a break,” Del Re said.  

Social Studies teacher Richard Deemer had the opportunity to bring his Psychology of Personality class to the Think Tank to work on a project that examines abnormal behaviors that people exhibit.  

The class had to propose a question based on the topic, and then they got to plan the rest of their ideas for the project in the Think Tank.

“One benefit of the Think Tank is that it provides a space where students get to decide what they want to do instead of being told what to do,” Deemer said.

Senior Allison Swift was one of the students who had the opportunity to plan for her project in the Think Tank.

“The Think Tank gave me the opportunity to see what everyone else thought of while we were working,” Swift said.

So far a few classes have used the Think Tank, but the room is open to everyone.

“The Think Tank is not a closed space,” Del Re said. “Students do not need to be working on a project with a class to use the Think Tank. If students want to use the classroom during their study hall, they are able to.”

Del Re said that she hopes to make the Think Tank a more inviting place in the future.

“I want the Think Tank to be a comfortable place where students can come to work,” Del Re said. “I am working to get moveable chairs that students can use while brainstorming.”