Creating a Gold Standard for Active Learning: Archbishop Stepinac's Classroom Transformation with BenQ

Many schools invest in classroom technology. Instead of benchmarking against other schools or adopting whatever technology was trending, Archbishop Stepinac High School took a different route. When leadership set out to rethink the classroom, they turned to university research, collegiate space design, and the science behind how people learn. 

Inspired by active learning environments at Teachers College, Columbia University, Stepinac set out to create something rarely seen at the high school level: a collegiate-style active learning model centered on engagement, collaboration, and flexibility. Working with BenQ as a technology partner, the school brought that vision to life through Active Learning Centers designed around the needs of students and teachers. 

Archbishop Stepinac was already a high-performing school. But school leaders believed the traditional classroom model wasn’t fully serving their students. The school had experimented with several classroom technology platforms, but none delivered the seamless, flexible experience the team envisioned. When the boards they had been trialing continued to create friction in the classroom, it became clear that a more meaningful change was needed.

“We know there are studies and facts that show every learner learns a little bit differently, and that the environment has every bit of an impact on that process as much as the material itself does. So how do we break away from a teacher planted at the front of the room, lecturing? That really began our journey.” — Joe Lore, Director of Special Projects, Archbishop Stepinac High School

Inspired by a visit to Teachers College at Columbia University — where learning spaces are designed to demonstrate effective teaching methods — the Stepinac team decided to build advanced Active Learning Centers from the ground up, with function driving every design choice. The goal wasn't to replicate a university classroom, but to bring the principles of active learning into a high school environment.

Lore worked closely with Patricia Murphy, Director of Instructional Technologies, along with the school’s architect and general contractor, to design spaces that centered on the students and teachers rather than the technology itself. The team piloted two rooms before expanding the model, ensuring that aesthetic decisions followed function, not the other way around.

Each room features multiple BenQ interactive displays — two primary screens at the front and a rear follow monitor — so students can see instructional content regardless of seating configuration. Modular furniture on wheels allows teachers to move between whole-group instruction, small-group collaborations, and individual work. Even the traditional teacher’s desk was replaced with a rolling podium, giving educators more freedom to move around the room.

For physics and engineering teacher Neil Ritchie, that flexibility has changed how he teaches. Using BenQ’s InstaShare app, he can project content from anywhere in the classroom while circulating among his students, checking on their progress, and demonstrating hands-on activities.  

“In the days before the likes of BenQ, I was up in the front. It was much more difficult to roam the classroom [as] I was much more static, and that makes it harder to know what the students are doing.” — Neil Ritchie, Physics and Engineering Teacher, Archbishop Stepinac High School 

Across subjects, teachers are using BenQ displays to make lessons more interactive and give students a greater role in the learning process. In math, students annotate geometric shapes and equations to demonstrate their understanding. And in law classes, students use multiple boards to compare individual case briefs and develop a shared document, discussing different approaches rather than gathering around individual laptops. One Stepinac sophomore says the displays give students more opportunities to participate, whether they’re working through a problem or explaining how they interpret a piece of writing.

“Students can see from three different boards, three different perspectives. They don’t have to be in a certain part of the room. There’s really no bad part of the room when learning with the BenQ boards.” — Scott Saunders, Math Teacher, Archbishop Stepinac High School

For Frank Portanova, Vice Principal for Academics and Curriculum, the measure of success is straightforward: are students engaged, and are they collaborating? 

“BenQ allows for more student engagement. It also allows for collaboration. Not only between student and teacher, but also student with other students.” — Frank Portanova, Vice Principal for Academics and Curriculum, Archbishop Stepinac High School 

Faculty surveys confirm what administrators observe firsthand. Teachers reported that the BenQ boards have provided more opportunities for student participation and collaboration. From language immersion and group brainstorming to college and career research and student-led presentations, the displays help mirror how communication happens in professional environments. 

BenQ’s role at Stepinac extends beyond the classroom. Members of the school’s NASA tech club use the displays to connect with remote tutors and annotate project ideas, while Science Olympiad participants work through complex problems together on the interactive whiteboard.  

The athletic department has also adopted the technology. Coaches use the boards to review game film, diagram plays, and walk student-athletes through plays and positioning in real time, giving teams another way to analyze performance and prepare for games.  

What started as two pilot Active Learning Centers has grown into a broader commitment to active learning across campus. Two years after initial deployment, Stepinac expanded BenQ displays into traditional classrooms throughout the building. Today, approximately three-quarters of the campus is equipped with BenQ interactive displays.

For Stepinac, BenQ has become a long-term technology partner in its approach to active learning. What started as a vision for collegiate-inspired classrooms has grown into a campus-wide model. 

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