Schools In Focus Podcast

On this episode of Schools in Focus, we're talking with Dr. Kevin Mabie, Global Professional Instructor with the Crisis Prevention Institute. He's here to talk about how a positive school climate can help K–12 leaders address, reduce and prevent bullying and violent behaviors. Among other topics, we'll discuss what a positive school climate entails, its benefits for students and teachers, layout and design elements that foster a positive environment, and strategies that K–12 teachers can employ to stop bullying in its tracks. Sponsored by Crisis Prevention Institute.

In this episode of Schools in Focus, we'll be talking about indoor air quality in schools. Our guests are Mike Wolf, Director of Regulatory Business Development, and Tyler Mancl, Principal Application Engineer, both with Greenheck. We'll talk about how schools can ensure the air in their building is safe and how to verify the performance of their HVAC systems. We'll cover the main aspects of indoor air quality—ventilation, humidification, and filtration—as well as how to make sure air is properly distributed in facilities. We'll talk about how both existing schools and newly-built facilities can improve air quality while keeping operational costs down. And finally, we'll discuss a $500-million grant program from the U.S. Department of Energy that helps schools pay for energy upgrade products. This episode is sponsored by Greenheck.

Today's topic is "Hacking the Senses to Boost Student Wellness," and my guests are Kim Montague, Executive Director - research and insights, and Kaelynn Reid, design futurist, both with Kimball International. They're here to talk about the design elements of multi-sensory environments that research and experience have shown to maximize student wellness. Sensory input in the classroom—everything from color to sound to scent, and even taste—can impact student experience and can play a role in memory retention, creative thinking and emotional intelligence. You'll learn how classroom designers can essentially "hack the senses" to usher in a desired psychological or physical outcome. This episode is sponsored by Kimball International.

This episode's guest is Jim Lee, the Enterprise Sales Director at Vector Solutions. He's worked with educational institutions ranging from small private schools to the largest districts in the country, helping organizations prevent incidents on campus through crowdsourced risk intelligence. Today, we'll discuss topics like common safety issues and concerns in schools, what to look for in an emergency communications system, and how these systems can help schools get ahead of issues to keep students, staff and facilities safe. We'll also talk about Alyssa's Law and a solution that helps schools meet its requirements.

This episode's topic is "Improving Building Health, Safety and Security with Smart Sensor Technology," and our guest is Mike Davis, National Sales Manager for IPVideo. We'll talk about the different types of sensors and the variety of data they can collect, from physical to chemical to environmental to security. From there, we'll go into the limitless applications of what organizations can do with a "Swiss Army Knife" of sensors to keep building occupants safe and secure. This episode is sponsored by IPVideo.

Our guest today is Magen McGahee, the CFO for Galaxy Next Generation, Inc. In this episode, Magen and I discuss the importance of seamless communication within schools. We'll talk about how a range of Galaxy products like G2 Secure, G2 Visual Alerts and G2 Link make both emergency and non-emergency communication throughout a school facility as easy as the touch of a button. Learn how these products were built from user feedback and how they're helping solve problems in the Ed Tech industry. You'll also learn more about an emergency communication solution that can initiate a lockdown procedure and contact law enforcement in one fluid motion. This episode is sponsored by Galaxy Next Generation, Inc.

This episode's guests are Elizabeth Bonner, design director for education and hard surface, and David Dembowitz, senior vice president of sales North America, both with Mohawk Group. We'll discuss choosing the right flooring solutions and the impact it can have on creating healthier, worry-free spaces throughout the lifecycle of the installation. We'll touch on topics like creating productive spaces for students & staff, the impact of COVID-19 on cleanliness standards, choosing the right flooring solution, and how to navigate the flooring decision making process. This episode is sponsored by Mohawk Group.

This episode's guest is Benjamin Strain, Higher Education Design Leader for DLR Group. He's here to discuss an ongoing DLR research initiative called "The Evolution of Campus," which involves interviews and outreach to higher education institutions to help them navigate the pandemic, return to campus, and explore new spatial and design requirements to meet the needs of faculty and students. He reveals some common themes among all three rounds of research (so far) and addresses the question on everyone's mind: "What's the future of the physical campus?"