"Adolescents are Humanity's R&D department! We adults are Product and Marketing."

UC Berkeley's Alison Gopnik summarized teenagers during a talk at Google a few years ago. Teenagers have a drive to innovate, a disregard for risk and appetite for the rewards of novelty that we adults can only dream of. So rather than prescribe how students might use a Wellness Center, we first let them use it and then asked what they liked about it. 

The wall to wall chalkboard wallpaper is the main attraction for most. It usually fills up with doodles and messages within five hours or so. The maxi beanbag and swiveling stools are a huge hit, as are two balance boards. This week students are building a movable kitchen island that they will be able to customize and use outdoors. Board games? Juice bar? Tutorial-on-the-go? They will show us.