BRYAN, Texas —
On Wednesday morning, over a dozen Sam Rayburn Intermediate School students sit in the school library, fidgeting in their chairs.
Some pedal furiously at desk bikes. Others rock gently back and forth on brightly colored wobble stools. The rest bob up and down on under-desk ellipticals.
Nearly every student is in constant motion. But, it isn’t chaos. It’s a carefully crafted 21st century library.
Sixth-grader Mykayla Mitchell said she likes the desk-bike best.
“It helps me not get bored when I’m reading or doing homework,” said Mitchell.
Earlier in the school year, the GiveJoy Foundation, a philanthropic organization run by Nutrabolt, donated $120,000 worth of flexible and active seating to Sam Rayburn Intermediate School and Jane Long Intermediate School.
The GiveJoy Foundation worked with Bryan ISD to transform both libraries with the hope that flexible seating would improve students’ focus.
Flexible seating offers wiggly students who fidget a lot a way to burn energy while still engaging with their school work.
Bryan ISD Library Program Coordinator Denise Kersten said the wobble stools and other flexible seating didn’t just transform how the libraries looked. It changed how students thought about the library and about reading.
“The new seating has been a big hit,” said Kersten. “The kids barge in here now. They’re excited. They think it’s cool. To them, the library is no longer a boring place where they have to sit still and stay silent. They can move around and be themselves.”