Learning across the Poughkeepsie City School District will soon become more innovative.

The district is accelerating its use of the newly created Innovation Labs through training, sharing best practices and collaborating with area colleges.

This academic year, Innovation Labs have opened in six of seven district schools, adding a bright, updated space where hands-on exploration of STEAM subjects can flourish. Each space includes convertible furniture, interactive screens, whiteboards, faucets, smart storage, coding and science technology and other amenities to encourage creative thinking and growth.

While schools have already started using the spaces, the process of integrating these resources into the daily life of the buildings took a leap forward last week. Meteor Education, the firm that has been working with the district to shape the labs’ furniture and function, held a training seminar for each building’s Innovation Lab managers, as well as other members of school and district administration.

The group, during the training at Sojourner Truth Elementary School, discussed the different uses of the labs’ furniture, instructional strategies, and how the managers can work together across schools. 

Michelle Costello, professional development leader for Meteor, encouraged them to think about what learning could happen in an Innovation Lab that may not be possible in a traditional classroom. She presented a list of the top 10 skills needed to be successful in 2026 and asked, “How can we transfer these to practical, hands-on use of this classroom?

“Yes, we want it to be fun, but we’re not just pulling in any activity because it is fun,” she said. “We have to think about, what skills are we teaching through this activity?”

Eric Lopez, Clinton’s lab manager, said the room’s amenities set an immediate tone for students, calling it “a novel area” of the school.

“There’s a sink in here,” he said. “You’re supposed to get your hands dirty. Let’s get messy. Let’s get crazy. Let’s do an experiment.”

Kelsey Grant, who is sharing lab manager duties at Truth with Elizabeth Oakley, anticipates the room to become a “central location” where schoolwide projects can happen, rather than the materials being dispersed into each individual classroom.

“They’re going to be excited about” the room, she said. “It’s something that’s fresh and fun for them.”

While the physical amenities in the rooms are similar in each building, the resources offered to students vary by the age group they serve. The construction of the labs is part of the district’s roughly $150 million investment in facilities improvements through the Strong Schools Equal Strong Communities capital project, and a lab at Smith Elementary is still to come.

The managers – each full-time teachers within their buildings – were officially appointed in February. Their responsibilities include managing the lab’s calendar, reviewing its usage, keeping inventory of all materials, and communicating with administrators regarding its activities, among others.

Some of the managers have already begun working with their building leadership to plot out activities, such as a slew of experiments using Peeps marshmallows slated for Truth’s room next week. 

Costello said the managers have created a shared document to share their experiences and best practices with their colleagues, “so that when something really good happens in one building that they’ve identified, they might be able to share and just spread that across the whole district.”

Meanwhile, at Warring, Principal Nicole Penn and lab manager Jennifer Geer-Ennist have already turned existing relationships with Dutchess Community College and Marist University through college exposure programs into opportunities for special instruction in their Innovation Lab.

DCC students have been visiting the school to conduct experiments with the students to learn about physical and chemical changes, electrical circuits and – most recently – how to make slime. Marist’s Dr. Laura Shelton, an assistant professor of STEM education, has also worked with Warring’s fourth graders in the Innovation Lab to learn about the Walkway Over the Hudson and build model bridges.

Warring has an online form set up for teachers to book time in the room. Their successes offer a glimpse of the benefits the Innovation Labs will soon create across the district.

“We’re using it regularly,” Penn said. “It’s been nice. It’s truly been a hands-on learning experience. The kids have had a great time.”