For years, students have wanted a designated space to enjoy throughout the school day, and in March, this desire came true with the opening of the new student lounge. Since the Center for Creative Arts and Technology (CCAT) opened, many classrooms have moved to new locations, leaving spaces in the main building empty. One of these was visual arts teacher Sarah Coble’s former art room near the Upper School locker rooms, which has now been transformed into a new student lounge open to all grades.
While the lounge is meant to be an inclusive space, some students are already concerned it might end up following the same patterns of grade-based separation that already exist throughout the building. Grade and student “territories” have long been a topic of discussion among upperclassmen and underclassmen, such as freshmen spending time in the library or seniors in their lounge. Since the opening, many students have expressed concern that the new student lounge may just become an underclassmen lounge, making older students less inclined to use it.

Sarah Coble Reflects on the Transformation
Before the student lounge existed, the room served as an art classroom for Sarah Coble, who spent 25 years teaching in the room. Coble said that she was aware of the new changes coming to the space and welcomed them.
“Oh, thank god,” Coble said. “It [the classroom] went from being very bohemian, and now it looks very corporate.”

While she has great memories of her old classroom, she is really enjoying the new space.
“The room now is amazing. It’s huge,” she said.
Reflecting on her time at Hackley, she shared how the space has changed over the years. “When I first got there, it had a rainbow on the wall, a big kick wheel with a cement base, and a lot of walls. It was just pottery.” She described how she expanded the curriculum to include woodworking, metalworking, anvil, and other media. She laughed, describing her classroom as a kind of “wreck” at times with dead birds, broken clay bags, animals sometimes running in, and hockey pucks and balls rolling in from the sophomore bubble.
One of the things Ms. Coble said she will miss is her patio. “I set up the patio because I was really inspired by the pictures of New York City. The teachers took them outside in the wintertime, and all the research shows us that the kids learn better outdoors,” she said. “I miss being in the Upper School.”

Ms. Swan on the Lounge’s Impact on the Library
The new student lounge has also allowed Upper School librarian Jennifer Swan to set clearer expectations around noise and gaming in the library.
“Yes, it has impacted me because it has allowed me to be more stern about the no group gaming because I’ve been pretty easy about it,” she said.
In the past, she didn’t mind students gaming as long as they weren’t disruptive. She would only step in if there was yelling and if other students nearby were trying to study. Now, she feels more comfortable asking students to move, knowing there is an alternative.
“I don’t like to send people out and be like ‘just go ’— I want to be able to say there’s a better place for you to be,” Swan said. “Now that we have a lounge, you can go there and I don’t feel stressed about making sure everybody feels accommodated.”
Ms. Swan said she believes it is important for students to have shared spaces, especially since it can be hard to find free space as some classrooms are locked and there’s not a lot of hallway seating.
As a fan of the lounge and its great potential, Ms. Swan said that she’s concerned that it’s not always used as much as it could be, as it is sometimes locked in the mornings, and students do not want to ask to unlock it.
“Students are shy, and they shouldn’t be,” Ms. Swan said. “They should go to the Deans’ Office.”
Looking forward, Ms. Swan hopes the lounge will be more successfully blended into Upper School student life next year.
“I’m hoping to really reset next year— like when the new ninth grade comes and be like: this is the way it’s going to be from day one, no gaming [in the library] because you have a place to go,” she said.
Pros of the New Lounge
Many students appreciate the seating options in the student lounge, especially the cushioned chairs that are comfortable. The space also has charging ports and a ping pong table, which are very popular. One student pointed out that the cozy atmosphere, particularly on rainy days, helps make the lounge feel welcoming.
Students also enjoy using the lounge as a spot to relax, play games, and hang out with friends, while others use it as a quiet workspace during non-lunch hours, especially when the library gets too crowded. Looking to the future, students hope for more activities to be introduced to the space, such as board games, air hockey, or foosball, to make the space even better.

Cons of the New Lounge
Despite the many positives, students still have a few concerns about the space. One of those is noise. During lunch or community time, the lounge can get really loud and become a distracting environment. Not only this, but some students worry about the potential for gambling or the space becoming messy, which could attract insects or rodents. Students are also worried about the space becoming overcrowded since it’s a bit small for all four grades, saying that they are less inclined to be in the lounge if it looks full.