2022 James D. MacConnell Award
Thaden School, Pure Poetry
For Immediate Release
October 12, 2022
WASHINGTON, DC – Thaden School planned and designed by EskewDumezRipple, Marlon Blackwell Architects, and
Andropogon Associates, located in in Bentonville, Arkansas has been awarded the 2022 James D. MacConnell
Award.
Philip Riedel, principal, NAC Architecture and jury chair commented, “With over 75 projects submitted in the
awards program, the MacConnell projects are exceptional examples of comprehensive planning resulting in
schools that support teaching and learning and serve the multiple needs of the students, staff, and the
community. All that entered are to be commended for improving the places children learn.”
The founding vision for Thaden School sought to challenge traditional paradigms of education and to create a
campus where students are afforded optimal opportunities to learn from their surroundings and interact with
their community. Thaden School’s philosophy of “learning by doing” and “learning by moving” necessitate an
approach where the academic programs are disbursed across the landscape, each with their own
lab/makerspace, where students learn to integrate the movements of their minds and hands.
The jury noted, “This school celebrates the ability to respond to differences. Ownership and stewardship are
strong here. This is symbolic of the idea of an ‘anti-school’ where students' receive a distinct message about the
agency and respect afforded to their individual learning. It promotes freedom of creativity through its spirited
design.”
As the jury concluded it deliberations, one juror exclaimed, “The planning and design of Thaden is pure poetry!”
The Association for Learning Environments is the only professional organization whose primary purpose is
improving the places where children learn. With approximately 5,300 members, the Association encompasses
six geographic regions across the United States, and supports regional representation in Canada, Australasia,
and the UK. The Association embraces a collaborative network of professionals with one single goal – building
healthy, safe, resilient and sustainable 21st Century learning places that inspire transformation in education,
enhance student and teacher performance, and support culture and community vitality. To learn more, visit our web site or follow us on social media.