School Specialty: Partners With Shelby, OH community to build state-of-the-art high school

New Campus Designed to Maximize Student Collaboration and
21st Century Learning

GREENVILLE, Wis., Sept. 23, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — School Specialty,
Inc. (OTCQB:SCOO) (“School Specialty” or “the Company”), a leading
distributor of innovative and proprietary products, programs and
services to the education marketplace, today announced the successful
completion of Shelby High School in Shelby, OH, which provides an
innovative, 21st Century Learning Environment aimed at preparing the
community’s young adults for a successful future in college and their
careers.

A photo accompanying this release is available at
http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=27858

School Specialty’s Projects by Design (PbD) team worked closely with
the Shelby City School District to outfit learning spaces that would
foster critical-thinking, problem-solving and technology integration
through student collaboration and teamwork. PbD provided comprehensive
furniture and equipment solutions from School Specialty’s breadth of
product offerings in order to promote 21st Century Learning ideals and
enhance the innovative design of the school.

“From the outset, Projects by Design and School Specialty delivered
everything we needed to achieve our goal of outfitting a new high
school optimized for 21st century teaching methods and learning
skills,” stated Tim Tarvin, Superintendent of Shelby City Schools.
“From ideation to installation, the team supported the project in every
aspect with their vast expertise, innovative solutions and close
connections to the community. We could not have asked for a more ideal
partner in ensuring that all expectations – unique to Shelby High’s
students and faculty – were met.”

Shelby High School includes a number of unique architectural layouts
that contribute to a collaborative, 21st Century Learning setting, such
as “double-wide” hallways which are much larger than those in
traditional schools, offering more space for socializing and learning.
Additionally, the school includes modern classrooms with glass walls
that double as dry erase boards, enabling students and teachers to
interact and exchange ideas even when they are separated by a
partition. Further, Shelby’s classrooms were made twice as large as
conventional ones, again to accommodate extra space for collaboration
and group projects. Some of these extra-large rooms even include a
retractable partition so that one large room may be quickly and easily
converted into two smaller areas – teachers have the flexibility to
host large lectures or small and intimate sessions as needed.

Once these unique learning spaces were created, Projects by Design
outfitted them with modern furnishings that best utilize the innovative
environment. From student tables that can change configurations for
different types of class projects to flexible seating, these
forward-looking furniture and equipment solutions from School Specialty
complete the learning experience. PbD’s furnishings provide students
and faculty with everything they need to utilize the revolutionary
architecture to its fullest extent. As with the space itself, School
Specialty’s furniture and equipment offerings are adaptable to every
learning situation and requirement, from large lectures to group
projects to individual learning, and beyond.

A 21st Century Learning Classroom at Shelby High School

Working on the new Shelby High School was a special opportunity for
School Specialty’s Scott Kurtzman, Furniture & Equipment Northeast
Operations Manager, and Doug Barnd, Senior Furniture & Equipment
Operations Manager, to give back. They both graduated from Shelby City
District schools and still have ties to the community. In fact, their
office in Mansfield, OH is less than 15 miles from Shelby.

“It was incredibly rewarding to work hand-in-hand with educators from
the community in this capacity, with the shared goal of creating a
cutting-edge educational facility that would prepare our local youth to
excel in their academic studies and subsequently in the workforce,”
stated Kurtzman.

“We’re honored to have played such an active role on the Shelby High
project and as part of the PbD team – utilizing our knowledge and
supply of innovative classroom furnishings to ensure that everything
the school district imagined, and more, was realized,” added Barnd.

“We were very appreciative of School Specialty’s approach to this
project,” continued John Gies, Principal of Shelby High School. “They
listened carefully to our vision for the school and served as a
strategic partner to provide a number of sound options that work best
for our students, teachers and district as a whole. Projects by Design
provided the solutions and services that are vital to our mission to
give our children the kind of environment that would sharpen their 21st
Century Learning skills – something critical to their future success.
Our community feels confident that the funding for Shelby High was put
to good use, thanks in large part to the efforts of School Specialty.
Their team has continued to support us even after installation, and
working with them has been an amazing experience.”

Development of Shelby High School has been a resounding success.
Already the school has experienced significant traction in student
participation, collaboration and performance.

About School Specialty, Inc.

School Specialty is a leading distributor of innovative and proprietary
products, programs and services to the education marketplace. The
Company designs, develops, and provides educators with the latest and
very best school supplies, furniture and both curriculum and
supplemental learning resources. Working in collaboration with
educators, School Specialty reaches beyond the scope of textbooks to
help teachers, guidance counselors and school administrators ensure
that every student reaches his or her full potential. For more
information about School Specialty, visit www.schoolspecialty.com.

CONTACT:
Andrea Johnson
Director of Marketing, Furniture & Equipment

920-882-5659 / 920-740-2361

andrea.johnson@schoolspecialty.com