Media Center Redesign at Minnetonka Middle School West

[Note updated information on with a video of this completed project can be found here.]

Photo by Paul Bourgeois

Phase two in the remodel of the media center at Minnetonka Middle School West (MMW) is underway this summer. Currently the old ceiling has been removed and the grid work for the new one is in place. Lights will be installed shortly. Then new carpeting will be put in along with new furniture. The first phase of this work began last summer with new paint, some pendant lights, and some new furniture donated by the PTO. For more on phase one, plus a look at three other remodeled Minnetonka Media Centers, see this previous post: Sneak Peek at Two Minnetonka Public School Media Center Summer Remodeling Projects.

The planning for this remodel began over two years ago with the school principal, Dr. Paula Hoff, Media Specialist Erin Carcamo, and PTO leaders. The PTO's fundraising efforts this past year all went toward this project. In May they held a 5K Color Run. The Color Run was a big success and the money raised will pay for new shelving and furniture. 

The remodeled space will have multiple areas: collaborative workspaces with mobile furniture, quiet areas for studying and reading, work stations for computers, large panel displays and projectors for group sharing and teaching, small group areas, and flexible shelving for the book collections. Architect drawings of the new media center are below.

Media Specialist Erin Carcamo is genrefying the school's book collection. Approximately one half of the 14,000 titles will be weeded and removed to fit in the new shelving this summer. She is creating a collection to support the curriculum versus having books in all areas of the Dewey Decimal system. For example, she is increasing the collection of global studies topics to match the needs of students for their classes.  This new format along with the new space will be a welcome change for the students and staff at Middle School West this coming year!