Living Room in Your Classroom
NAEye takes a glimpse at NAI’s classroom that are not like the others.
Mrs. Ferruchie shares her love for the popular sitcom “Friends” with the rest of the school.
Students spend 8 hours a day in tiny classrooms learning about things that we most likely will forget by next year. Studies have shown that it is easier to learn or to be educated while in a comfortable environment.
However, the majority of the classrooms in North Allegheny Intermediate High School is still your average classroom with metal chairs and squared desk or tables with educational posters related to the subject that is being taught in that specific room.
Meanwhile, there are two rooms in NAI that are the complete opposite: Room 924 belonging to Mr. Geibel and Room 916 belonging to Mrs. Ferruchie.
While sitting in a typical classroom, Mr. Geibel, one of the many English teachers of NAI, got the idea in October of 2016 to make his room somewhere where kids can enjoy his subject and learn with ease.
His room is located in NAI’s main hallway, Tiger Hall, and next to E Hall. “I was teaching in a normal classroom with normal rows of desks and I realized that while we are supposed to be preparing kids, we’re still teaching in a 1950’s America.” — Mr. Geibel
Other than the support of funding from the district, he created and designed his room his way, consisting of orange plastic chairs, green and orange couches, along with his own lighting. The original lights put in by the school are rarely ever used. Mr. Geibel shares his room with Mr. Hull, who also teaches English along with a Journalism elective.
Travel down Tiger Hall at the corner of Tiger Hall and C Hall and you will find Room 916, Mrs. Ferruchie’s classroom.
While students are learning their English course in her room, the classroom screams “Tigers”, designed with a gold wall along with black stripes. Ferruchie shares her famous classroom with a Spanish Teacher, Mrs. DeGarmo. Both students from both subjects sit on stools with tiger-skinned designed covers, black bouncy balls, or regular chairs if students choose to do so.
Desperate for her classroom to bring energy, engagement, happiness, positivity, creativity, and school pride, Ferruchie turned her classroom around by getting rid of old teal counter top tables and desks and adding fancy chairs and modern desks. Most items were either bought off of Amazon or Target or were built. For example, Ferruchie’s husband made sculptures of the heads of characters that are in books that are read throughout the year in her English class.
She received assistance from her husband and parents who designed and painted the walls, putting up posters of inspirational quotes, gluing on countertops, and moving furniture. “It is still an on-going process”. The redesign of the classroom started in the spring of 2018 and after several weekends, late evenings, and time over the summer, the classroom was complete. When it comes to finances, Ferruchie says she has no regrets in her spending.
While North Allegheny has many perks known to the community, many don’t realize or see the perks that is inside our schools. These two classrooms scream the uniqueness and advantages of NAI, and clearly display why we have school pride.
Anthony Durzo is a sophomore at North Allegheny Intermediate High School and this second year as a staff writer for NAI's student online newspaper, NAEye....
Mia Simmons is a sophomore at NAI this year. This is her first year in journalism and she is very excited about what is in store for the oncoming year....
