When our students returned to campus this fall, they found a new look in the Baxter Library. On the downstairs level, two new collaborative learning rooms were added to be utilized for our community’s range of needs. Thanks to a grant from the John G. Martin Foundation, students in need of a quiet study area can shut themselves in when preparing for an exam, classmates working together on a group project can meet without disturbing others in the library, and teachers looking for a change of scenery for classroom instruction can take advantage of the library’s newest addition.

Library Director Alexandra Casinghino says she was hoping for this type of upgrade, but didn’t expect it to happen so quickly. “When I started two years ago, I had envisioned eventual changes to the lower level of the library in order to make it both more welcoming and collegiate.” In May of 2025, Director of Development Sarah Blanchard P’24, and Jennifer Opalacz, Director of Donor Relations and Operations, reached out to Casinghino asking about ways alumni donations could enhance and support the library.

After those initial discussions, Casinghino met with other school leaders to pitch the project. “We all agreed that glass-enclosed, soundproof, multi-use collaborative learning rooms equipped with technology would enhance AOF’s academic culture, foster student engagement, and departmental collaboration,” Casinghino explains.

The Baxter Library staff spent the final months of the 2025-26 school year working on reorganizing their collection in order to accommodate the space needed for the rooms. After that, the school’s facilities team designed and built the rooms, making them modern yet totally in sync with the aesthetic and tradition of the school. The final step was to decide on furniture that would meet the needs of the two rooms: multi-use desks for one room and a conference room table for the other. A ViewSonic interactive whiteboard was installed in each room as well.

Casinghino says she thinks the rooms came out exceptionally. “They perfectly reflect the project’s original vision and they have transformed our library, ensuring that it remains a vital component of our campus.”

It’s not just library staff that are excited about the new rooms. They have been used every day and at night during study halls. “Several teachers have brought their classes to the library in order to have their students split into groups,” Casinghino shares. “For example, this week Señor Doyle came with his Spanish classes for an activity that involved his students debating two sides of an issue in Spanish. The rooms were used by his students to prepare their arguments and practice their speeches.” Academic departments have used them for meetings and teachers recently used them to meet with students to go over college essays.

Using the study rooms to work on college application materials is fitting, says Casinghino. “A big part of this was trying to create a scholarly atmosphere similar to that found in top university libraries.”

Opalacz says there is still one final step before the rooms are complete. A plaque thanking the John G. Martin Foundation will soon be hung up outside the two rooms.

If you haven’t seen them yet, make sure to include the lower level of the Baxter Library in your next campus tour!