The Excellence Awards, established in 2005, recognize South Carolina's Best in Class school solutions. The winners of last year's A4LE state conference exemplified some of the finest school construction projects in South Carolina.
Entries must meet the following criteria:
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Schools must be located in South Carolina.
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Construction must have been completed after 1/1/2012.
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Award submittals may be made by the Owner, Architect, Engineer, General Contractor, or Construction Manager. The entity submitting the project must be a member of A4LE South Carolina.
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Entries must be submitted under one of the following categories:
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New Construction
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Addition / Renovation
Entry for the Excellence Awards is closed
Download the
submittal guidelines
The entry fee is $250 per school submittal.
If you have any questions contact:
Michael Ritchie at 803.791.1020.
Design Awards Committee
Matt Wagner – Jury Chair
Matt Wagner is the Principal at Matthew Wagner Design Consulting (MWDC), an architectural design, research, and creative
consulting firm specializing in environmental design, design technology, BIM implementation, visualization, and innovative
building technology research.
In addition to MWDC, Matt is an Assistant Professor in the School of Architecture + Design at Virginia Tech. Prior to joining
Virginia Tech, he worked for William McDonough + Partners in Charlottesville, Virginia. William McDonough + Partners is an
internationally recognized architecture and design firm, with a practice centered around Cradle to Cradle philosophy. While with
WM+P, Matt worked on numerous domestic and international projects; such projects include the WM+P Make It Right House in
New Orleans, Louisiana, and the Ferrer Research & Development Tower in Barcelona, Spain.
Matt received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Virginia Commonwealth University, and a Master of Architecture from Virginia Tech.
As a graduate student, Matt was a member of the award winning 2005 Virginia Tech Solar Decathlon team. He has received
awards for outreach and design from Virginia Tech, Metropolis Magazine, the International Living Future Institute, the American
Institute of Architects, and the Interior Design Educator's Council.
Andres Pacheco, LEED AP BD+C
Andres joined VMDO in 2013 and has over 10 years of experience working on multiple projects in varied climates and cultures in
China, India, Ecuador, Europe, and the U.S. His experience working across a variety of project types has nurtured his innate
curiosity and drive to express the unique qualities of a project and its place through the medium of design.
Earlier in his career, Andres worked in Ecuador as a designer for the Guayaquil Historic Park, a project (now built) that sought to
express the existing culture and sustain natural habitats through innovations in bamboo construction, adobe blocks, reclaimed
wood, and other vernacular construction systems. This experience informed Andres’ appreciation of simplicity in design and
economy in material. Also while in Ecuador, Andres worked on a series of comprehensive city projects from stadiums to
apartment buildings.
While teaching Design Studio and Materials and Methods at the Architecture School at Catholic University, Andres enjoyed
encouraging and inspiring students while promoting architecture as a true instrument of social change.
Before joining VMDO, Andres worked for eight years at William McDonough + Partners, where he was involved in identifying and
employing eco-effective design strategies for projects across the globe. His designs are attuned to energy flows and to the
surrounding terrain to help foster a sense of connectedness between inhabitants and community, as well as between the
community and the natural world.
Dr. Rainey Knight
Dr. Knight is the Director of Special Projects and provides professional consulting services to the SC Education Oversight
Committee. Dr. Knight's work focuses on dropout recovery and developing reading plans with school districts.
Dr. Knight previously served as the Superintendent of Darlington County Schools for 14 years. She was responsible for the overall
operations and management of the school district. Prior to that, she served as an Associate Superintendent in Darlington and was
also Principal of Mayo High School Math, Science, and Technology. Her 36-year career in education has included work with the SC
Department of Education and the University of South Carolina, where she worked to develop technology curriculum for
classroom teachers. Dr. Knight has published and presented on various topics including dropout recovery, career pathways for
students, and graduation rates.
Dr. Knight received her B.S. from Francis Marion University and earned her Masters of Arts in Teaching in Biology and her Ph.D. in
Curriculum and Instruction from the University of South Carolina. She is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including
the 2013 Professional Industry Achievement Award in Education from Francis Marion University and the 2012 SC Superintendent
of the Year from the SC School Administrator Association. In 2012, the Greater Hartsville Chamber named Knight their Person of
the Year and she was the recipient of the 2011 Women of Distinction Award from the Girl Scouts of Eastern South Carolina.