Design a new school locker for the Sewanhaka District's 21st Century Schools

Reimagine the design of a 21st century locker you would need as a connected student. A locker you could use to keep all of your school supplies and electronic devices.

Gather more information about your existing school lockers by taking photos, sketching, conducting interviews, or doing additional research.

Think About

• What is the purpose of a school locker?
• How has the way you use a locker changed since you first started school in kindergarten, for example?
• How many times do you visit and open your locker each day?
• Do teachers or school administrators have any safety or security concerns about lockers? What are they?
• What types of materials is your locker constructed from? Why?
• How can lockers "Fit" together better? Maybe to fit more units or to work better.
• How do the lockers effect traffic in the hallways?

Try This

• Take photos of a row of your school's lockers. Open your own locker and take a photo of what's stored inside.
• Make a list of all the features your locker currently has. (Examples: hooks, air slots, etc.)
• Make a list of all the items you currently keep in your locker on a typical day.
• Next to each item, make notes about what 'needs' that item has. (Examples: my sweaty gym clothes need to kept away from my other things; my devices need electricity to be charged; my winter boots need a place to drip dry)
• Make a list of all the items you wish you could store in your locker, but don't have room for.
• Measure the length, height, and depth of your current locker.
• Measure the length, height, and depth of your backpack, books, coat / shoes, and other large objects you typically keep inside your locker.
• Measure the width of your school's hallway. How much of this width is taken up on both sides of the hallway when students stand in front of their open lockers?
• Read this Washington Post article to learn more about some of the complaints students have with their lockers today.
• Visit the websites of a few manufacturers to see various types of lockers currently made. What do you like or dislike about these examples?

Develop sketches or models to help you puzzle through new ideas and solutions.

Think About

• Make a list of all the things you like about your current locker. Ask several friends for their opinions.
• Make a list of all the things you dislike about your current locker. Ask several friends for their opinions.
• Think about your locker not just as a metal box, but as another type of container. What other types of containers do you use each day to store stuff? (Examples: containers for food, clothing, household items)
• Many animals, insects, and plants use containers to store things (Example: bees use honeycombs). Check out some of the images in the Inspiration Gallery for other ideas of strorage units.
• Keep in mind that your newly-designed locker will be one of many along the hallway. How will these individual units all fit together? How will several students use their lockers at the same time without bumping into each other?
• How can the location of lockers be expanded to accommodate classes throughout the building?

Try This

Based on the information you collected above, brainstorm a list of special features you'd like your new locker to have. Consider what materials the locker will be made from. What materials will be durable against the wear and tear of student use over the years?

What shape and size will your new locker be?  How will they fit together?  How much room will they take up in the hallways?

Now is the time to show off your awesome work!