About our client – Next Charter School
The origin story of Next is unique in that it is the result of a partnership between a public charter school and a traditional school district. Together this group aimed to create a smaller, more flexible approach to high school that would meet the needs of a small number of students who were looking for something different. Next opened in 2013 with 30 students and today is home to 80 students and 19 faculty members. In 2015, Next renovated a section of Gilbert H. Hood Middle School and established a long-term lease with the Derry School District for this facility. The mission of Next Charter School is to meet the needs of high school students who value personalized learning in a smaller, collaborative community where each member has a sense of belonging. Next will prepare each student for the future by nurturing social and personal responsibility.
Improving Indoor Air Quality as a major goal
Next Charter school director, Joe Crawford, learned about HALO Air Filtration System by Erlab from a parent of an attending student. They conducted an indoor air quality assessment with a member of NH ASHRAE in order to learn about the best practices for air filtration. After reviewing several options and performing a deep dive into industry literature, Erlab was selected.
Like many schools dealing with in-person learning issues, they were looking for ways to mitigate the spread of viruses, including, but not limited to, the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Next Charter did their homework to discover what method of indoor air cleaning would work best in their environment. Their research led them to purchase air filtration systems from Erlab as a positive step to improving their indoor air quality for the benefit of students, staff, and visitors to their facility.
Basing a purchase on multiple, proven criteria
The first question most people ask is ‘how much can I expect to pay to accomplish my goal of providing quality indoor air for my school community? Here one must ask, what is the health of your community worth? Purchasing a poorly functioning product at bargain prices will waste budgeted money for a poor, and sometimes unhealthy outcome.
Of course, price was a consideration for Next Charter School but so was quality, lower operation costs, product reputation, and keeping their carbon footprint low. They also had spatial limitations and after reviewing air filtration models that were housed in heavy boxes and sat on countertops and tables, they determined that most models were not a good fit for them as space was limited along with the need to protect students from potential injury. Erlab’s HALO ceiling-mounted air filtration system was exactly what was needed and while the placement of the Halo served as being extremely valuable considering they do not take up precious real-estate, the school also understood that placement served a significant purpose in the performance, optimizing actual concentration reduction of the unseen dangers that smaller particles present to our overall health, including the transmission of airborne illnesses.
High praise for meeting customer expectations
Mr. Crawford expressed his opinion about working with Erlab, from the purchase to the installation process, saying: “Erlab was excellent. Tim and Jesse were patient, yet engaged. They responded quickly to all questions and were extremely helpful.” Next Charter School received appreciation from students, staff, and parents, for showing their commitment to putting the health of their community as a primary concern. The director has shared that their school is considering a small renovation/expansion project, and acquiring additional HALO air filtration systems into their new space will be at the top of their list. When you are ready to commit to providing the best IAQ (Indoor Air Quality) for your facility – rely on an established air filtration expert who backs their products with proven test results, to protect your facility from poor IAQ that promotes the spread of bacteria, COVID-19, and flu-related illnesses.
