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Office Depot to help Washington Elementary School reopen with new design and furniture

BOCA RATON, Fla., 2017-Apr-26 — /EPR Retail News/ — Office Depot, Inc. (NASDAQ:ODP), a leading global provider of office products, services, and solutions, today (April 24, 2017) announced a partnership with Washington Elementary School in Sacramento, CA, to help the school reopen, reimagining the school’s design after two years of sitting dormant due to a declined intercity enrollment and budget cuts. In less than four months, Office Depot, Inc., in partnership with HMC Architects, completed furniture specifications, product samples, design renderings and installed furniture in the new classrooms, cafeteria, media commons and administrative areas.

Providing solutions to different types and sizes of schools is central to Office Depot, Inc.’s Committed to Learning™. Washington Elementary School, the winner of California’s Coalition for Adequate School Housing’s Design Honor Awards for Modernization and Transformation, proved to be a unique opportunity since the school reopened with a focus on STEAM classrooms (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Mathematics). Office Depot, Inc., combined its deep expertise in design and furniture implementation with its contact furniture dealership, Workspace Interiors by Office Depot, to develop learning environments that reinforce the project-based nature of the curriculum.

Office Depot, Inc. works with school districts around the country to design classrooms with new technology and furniture to help meet the changing needs of students today. For Washington Elementary School, the company provided flexible furnishings to allow students and teachers the ability to tailor their learning experience while integrating technology and incorporating one-on-one learning.

“Our goal was to reimagine an innovative way to approach learning and teaching at Washington Elementary School rather than replicate the previously closed version,” said Dr. Gema Godina-Martinez, principal at Washington Elementary. “Through Office Depot’s partnership, we were able to not only offer students and staff a new place to learn, but hope and excitement for families in the community.”

Combining decades of classroom design and furniture experience with expert consultants from across the education sector, Office Depot, Inc.’s Committed to Learning™ brand offers schools new choices in classroom innovation, and offers communities new ways to revitalize their local school facilities. Since Washington Elementary School reopened, forward thinking educators have been drawn to the school’s innovative feel and design, allowing families and students to be welcomed back to their neighborhood school.

“With Washington Elementary, we provided help with the design and furniture, but became a partner for something much larger,” said Becki Schwietz, senior director for K-12 education at Office Depot, Inc. “Not only did we create safe and comfortable spaces for students to allow for more innovative and forward thinking, but assisted in reopening a school that is critical to many families and students. Assisting local neighborhood schools is a crucial component of the company’s overall commitment to learning.”

Office Depot’s passion for helping local neighborhood schools through our Workspace Interiors division was matched by the lead architectural firm on the project, HMC Architects. The Workspace Interiors team worked closely with HMC Architects throughout the project to ensure the forward thinking designed environments supported Washington Elementary’s STEAM learning goals.

“Our mission at HMC Architects is to partner with communities to serve the greater good,” said Aaron Buehring, senior project designer at HMC Architects. “Through partnering with Workspace Interiors by Office Depot, we were able to work together to design and build a school that the students and administrative staff can be proud of.”

Office Depot, Inc. collaborates with school districts and other educational institutions through the company’s Committed to Learning™ initiative, which offers educators access to a national team of curriculum and instruction experts across disciplines. Through the Committed to Learning™ initiative, the company partners with school districts to meet their strategic goals by providing instructional solutions and access to experts that enrich the learning experience in the areas of personalized learning, project-based learning and innovative learning spaces, culture and wellness, instructional resources, and supplies.

To learn more, visit www.officedepot.com/education or email us directly at committedtolearning@officedepot.com.

About Office Depot, Inc.

Office Depot, Inc. is a leading global provider of products, services, and solutions for every workplace – whether your workplace is an office, home, school or car.

The company had annual sales of approximately $11 billion, employed approximately 38,000 associates, and served consumers and businesses in North America and abroad with approximately 1,400 retail stores, award-winning e-commerce sites and a dedicated business-to-business sales organization – with a global network of wholly owned operations, franchisees, licensees and alliance partners. The company operates under several banner brands including Office Depot, OfficeMax and Grand & Toy. The company’s portfolio of exclusive product brands include TUL, Foray, Brenton Studio, Ativa, WorkPro, Realspace and Highmark.

Office Depot, Inc.’s common stock is listed on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “ODP.”

Office Depot is a trademark of The Office Club, Inc. OfficeMax is a trademark of OMX, Inc. ©2017 Office Depot, Inc. All rights reserved. Any other product or company names mentioned herein are the trademarks of their respective owners.

About Washington Elementary

Washington Elementary, located in midtown Sacramento, reopened on September 1, 2016 as a STEAM school utilizing Project Based Learning (PBL) as the main teaching method. In partnership with community members and businesses, our staff have identified real world and authentic problems aligned with common core standards creating the opportunity for our students to develop the skills and attributes to lead successful lives.

Washington Elementary provides an engaging and collaborative community where all learners thrive. We are a STEAM-focused school with a sustainable model for innovation that supports learners in solving authentic problems through inquiry.

Contact:
Julianne Embry
561-438-1451
julianne.embry@officedepot.com

Edelman
Amanda Olson
512-634-3661
amanda.olson1@edelman.com

Source: Office Depot, Inc.

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