By Dr. Christina Counts
How a career-focused high school used flexible furniture and modular design to convert a donated 180,000 sq ft building into a dynamic, modern learning environment.
Boone County Schools’ Ignite Institute is a career-focused high school built around project-based learning and strong partnerships with industry. The school’s mission is to blend academic instruction with real-world experience so students graduate with the skills, creativity, and confidence needed in a fast-paced, technology-driven workforce. Creating that type of learning experience required rethinking traditional classrooms and equipping spaces with flexible furniture and modular elements that support collaboration, presentation, and hands-on work.
Ignite opened for the 2019–20 school year with 890 students and plans to grow enrollment to around 1,200. The program offers six career pathways, and students take their core academic classes through the lens of the career they choose. For example, students interested in engineering take math, science, English, social studies, world language, and a career-focused class taught by a coordinated team of teachers. This integrated model emphasizes communication, presentation, research, and collaborative problem-solving.
The building that houses Ignite was donated by Toyota and renovated using a mix of grants and school board funds. Throughout the renovation, flexible furniture and modular architecture were central design priorities. These choices enable swift transitions between learning modes and accommodate the variety of activities associated with career-focused, project-based instruction.
- Engage all stakeholders. The design process included input not only from classroom teachers but also from counselors, administrative staff, and former educators. Broad stakeholder involvement helped ensure the facility supports a wide range of daily functions and student needs.
- Move beyond the traditional classroom model. Classrooms at Ignite are intentionally different from conventional setups. While some teachers prefer a fixed arrangement, most rooms are adaptable and serve multiple purposes throughout the day—presentation space, group work, independent study, or a hybrid of activities.
- Design classrooms for modularity. Furniture and room layouts are chosen to allow rapid reconfiguration. Tables and seating can be arranged for front-facing presentations, small-group collaboration, or quiet individual work, and the same classroom can accommodate all of these modes in a single day.
- Align architecture with flexibility. Shared spaces were designed to be multi-functional. The cafeteria, for example, also acts as an extension of a large meeting area known as “The Box.” The selected furniture supports dining, classroom-style learning, and auditorium-style presentations, enabling the space to serve diverse program needs.
- Make everything movable. Collaboration zones feature interchangeable setups so multiple teachers can use the same area simultaneously. Walls, work surfaces, and seating are reconfigurable, enabling quick transitions between six different formations and supporting a variety of instructional approaches.
- Match setups to disciplines. Different subjects require different spatial arrangements. Engineering and robotics activities often benefit from open floor space for building and testing projects, while humanities classes typically need pods or circular seating to promote discussion and debate.
- Give teachers choice. Educators at Ignite are empowered to choose the setups that best fit their teaching style and lesson goals. Some prefer semicircles; others use a more traditional arrangement. The ability for teachers—or in some classes, students—to rearrange furniture ensures the learning environment adapts to instructional shifts.
Throughout the design and implementation process, Ignite prioritized student-centered furniture and layouts so learners are placed at the heart of the experience. The result is a highly adaptable school that supports career pathways, project-based learning, and the development of workplace-ready skills.
About the author
Dr. Christina Counts is Vice President of Strategy and Development for MiEN Environments and an Accredited Learning Environments Planner (ALEP). With more than 17 years in education, she has worked as a classroom teacher, district instructional leader, school administrator, and designer of digital and innovative learning. This article was originally published by The Learning Counsel, a research institute and news media organization focused on the shift to digital curriculum and educational transformation.