With students returning to the most recently renovated part of the high school in the second floor of K-pod, only one thing stood out to me more than the misspelling of the “Math Planing Center,” and that was the design of the of the most unique, and less than comfortable rolling chairs that now populate the floor.

At a first glance, the chairs do fit the more modern aesthetic of the fresh floor, and break away the traditional classroom style. The problems begin when you actually sit in them. The almost triangular seat shape is awkward and unnatural, and somehow feels like less padding than the metal desks everywhere else in the school.

My biggest issue with them is the back support. The back of the desk is shaped like a “c,” but it only goes up to about someones lower back, providing next to no back support. The C shape also barely gets around the side of the chairs, positioned too far in the back where they feel out of place and uncomfortable to use. 

Another frustrating feature is the wheels on the chair that don’t go round and round. When the seat is unoccupied, the chairs move freely very easily at a light touch, but the second someone sits, the wheels essentially lock up and provide very little to no movement. I’ve heard that in the earlier days of the new K-pod the chairs always rolled but were locked due to students moving too much, but that’s just the hallways talking. 

The design is, allegedly, meant to allow for students to sit in them backwards, with their legs under the backrest and being able to lean on the low, flat back. While interesting, it feels like that was too much of the focus because students spend 99% of their time sitting forwards in chairs, not backwards. 

Overall, while the renovation of K-pod’s second floor was a net positive step for the school, the new chairs seem to miss the mark. Comfort and functionality are important in a learning environment, and right now, these chairs don’t live up to that.