shop online at www.missourivalleyshopper.com August 23, 2016 • Page 11 Home Heating Tips to Save Money and Energy Did You Know? A School’s Design Can Improve Academic Success indoor air quality to avoid the spread of illness and maintain student focus. • Room layout, furnishings and décor that that hits the sweet spot between stimulating versus overwhelming clutter. (StatePoint) In recent years, policymakers have focused on how to improve student performance, scrutinizing factors like school day start times and the nutritional value of school-provided meals. However, the basic design and configuration of schools and classrooms can also have a major impact on student success, and this fact is now getting its due attention. The classroom environment can impact a child’s academic progress by as much as 25 percent in one year, according to a UK study at the University of Salford. Armed with a growing body of evidence of the link between school design and student performance, architects are altering their ideas accordingly. “As a profession, we have At its best, school layout and design can also extend the classroom outdoors and provide students more opportunities to engage. There are ways to promote greater physical movement, such as strategic placement of “irresistible staircases” (staircases that are so beautifully designed they are difficult to resist,) and by structuring the building so that natural flow of walking is the norm. to be responsive to these varying arrangements. Dale outlines the most important design elements that can improve academic performance: been working closely with neuroscientists, educators, parents and even school children to make more informed design choices for 21st century learning environments,” says John Dale, chair of the American Institute of Architects Committee on Architecture for Education, and studio leader at Harley Ellis Devereaux, an architecture and engineering firm. “Through these interactions, architectural approaches have evolved so that classrooms in much greater numbers are becoming flexible laboratories that can accommodate a variety of learning opportunities.” • Lighting (natural and artificial) that mimics the natural circadian rhythms of a day as best it can. • Views that provide an ability to see nature and appreciate space and surroundings that stimulate students’ imagination, while actually allowing greater focus on the subject at hand. • Acoustics that minimize background noise and reverberations, and foster an environment that allows for better concentration and attention to the teacher. Findings show that kids learn in different ways, whether it’s by sitting, standing or collaborating in groups; and experts say the school at-large and the classroom in particular need 14,995 RENTALS For example, the Quadra-Fire Adventure II, an EPA-certified appliance, features Smart Burn Technology, which delivers controllable, efficient heat. It’s the only stove equipped with a programmable wall thermostat that maintains the temperature of your room, helping reduce heating bills up to 50 percent. 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Leather, 13K $ Supplemental Heating Schools that have been designed to be sustainable can also offer teachable moments about ecology and energy-efficiency by spotlighting elements such as waAnother option that can help you reduce your heating bill ter conservation measures is the Encore FlexBurn from Vermont Castings, which can be burned with a catalyst to increase efficiency by more than 15 and solar panel placement. percent on the longest burn settings and lowering emissions As schools move far away to ensure you get the most out of each load of wood. from institutional closed For those who want to green their home, wood is a good classrooms populated by fuel choice, as it’s a renewable energy source that is carbon rows of students tethered neutral. to desks, architects are Regular Maintenance spearheading the movement towards spaces that help Your heating system, supplemental heating products and students maximize their full insulation all require regular maintenance to operate at their academic potential. In many highest capacity and keep your home warm at a reasonable instances nationwide, new cost. Certain tasks you can perform yourself include changing school designs are becoming HVAC filters, sealing drafts and ductwork, and weatherstripa focal point of a community ping windows and doors. You may want to have your central and serving as a beacon of furnace serviced professionally, however. A handy checklist is available at energystar.gov. civic pride along the way. • Ventilation that promotes the best possible 2014 Chevy Cruze LT2 #375525 (StatePoint) Will your house be warm enough this winter? With shifts in climate making winter weather harder to predict, it’s important to prepare your home for extreme winter temperatures as soon as possible. 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