| DAY 1 | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2023 |
| 8:00 – 8:45 AM |
Registration |
| 8:45 – 9:00 AM |
Welcome – Nick Horn-Rollins
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| 9:00 – 9:30 AM |
Don Hiley Tribute – Dena Strait
Don Hiley contributed greatly to the betterment of the State's educational facilities during his career. He wrote hundreds of DEED CIP applications, held positions on and participated in years of the Bond Reimbursement and Grant Review Committee, managed projects, knew DEED requirements inside and out, assisted districts with operations and maintenance compliance, mentored colleagues and much more. Join us to celebrate Don and his contributions to Alaska's educational facilities.
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| 9:30 – 10:30 AM |
Presentation: Facilities Through Time – ASD South High School – Dr. Luke Almon, Brian Meissner
Panel Discussion: The Facilities Through Time presentation will explore the Anchorage School District South High School through time. The high school was design and built approximately 20 years ago and presents the opportunity to look back and evaluate how it has performed. The evaluation will be explored from the lens of the school community, maintenance & operations, education program changes and what has been learned along the way. The overall goal is to bring the experiences of what was learned into a broader discussion on how to best manage and design our education facilities to become stronger community places as they age.
Learning Objectives:
- Explore the role that education facilities have in our communities and how they can change over time.
- Learn about the education programming and design that South High School was based on and how its use has changed over time.
- Learn about how South High School building systems have performed over time. Topics will include building system performance, operations & maintenance and changes that have occurred.
- Participate in a moderated discussion between district administrations, operations & maintenance and the design community. Topics will range from discussing lessons learned, tools and strategies for designing and operating schools from a long term perspective.
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| 10:30 – 11:30 AM |
Presentation: The Importance of Maintenance During Design
Shannon Rasic
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Jeremy Coulson
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Rob Holland
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Andrew Wallace
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The Anchorage School District is the largest district in the state, consisting of nearly 100 facilities. In this presentation, we will hear from the individuals that own and maintain the assets and facilities after construction. They will be discussing the importance of Maintenance collaboration with internal construction project managers and planners, as well as designers and engineers beginning in the early stages of project conception and planning. They will provide examples of design challenges they’ve experienced at ASD and share new ways their departments are joining forces.
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| 11:30 – 11:45 AM |
Break |
| 11:45 AM – 12:00 PM |
Vendors
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| 12:00 – 1:30 PM |
Lunch
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| 1:30 – 6:00 PM |
Facility Tours:
- Redington Jr/Sr High School
- Iditarod Elementary School
- Machetanz Elementary School
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| 6:30 – 8:00 PM |
Reception
MCG Explore Design Office – Historic Alaska Railroad Depot, 421 W 1st Ave., 3rd Floor |
| 8:00 – 9:00 PM |
A4LE Board Meeting |
| DAY 2 | FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2023 |
| 8:00 – 9:00 AM |
Welcome Back – Nick Horn-Rollins
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| 9:00 – 10:00 AM |
Keynote: Dr. Janelle Vanasse
Our Alaskan communities know the value of culturally-based education, but what many educators do not know is that culturally-based education is also college preparation. A strong cultural self-identity is key to a successful college transition and persistence. When combined with a rigorous school curriculum, a strong cultural sense of self can make the difference in college success. We will explore how schools—both high school and post-secondary-- may incorporate cultural affirming strategies along with western college preparation to help students, particularly rural and Alaska Native students, build a full spectrum of skills to draw upon in the post-secondary transition.
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| 10:00 – 10:15 AM |
Break |
| 10:15 – 10:30 AM |
Vendors |
| 10:30 – 11:00 AM |
SchoolsNEXT
During the 2021-2022 school year, the ASD STrEaM Academy Charter School participated in the A4LE SchoolsNEXT design competition. SchoolsNEXT is for middle school age students and is open to all A4LE Districts worldwide. The competition encourages students to consider what the school of the future would look like; to create a program, design, and presentation showing off their design ideas. The STrEaM Academy team presented their design in multiple stages; first winning the Pacific Northwest Region and then went on to win the highest prize as SchoolsNEXT Award of Excellence for 2022. The students were invited to LearningSCAPES in San Antonio in October where they presented their winning design to the general session.
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| 11:30 AM – 12:00 PM |
Lunch – Wayne Norlund
State of the State and Introduction of Joe Willhoite
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| 12:00 – 12:45 PM |
Lunch – Ethan Petticrew
Can the design of learning spaces help to heal historical trauma and to decolonize education for indigenous learners? Ethan Petticrew, Executive Director of Cook Inlet Native Head start, will share his journey as a teacher, an administrator and an Alaska Native leader who has sought to answer this question. Mr. Petticrew is very proud of his heritage and works to make sure that all students’ cultures are recognized in a classroom. When asked about why he became a teacher, he declared, “we should not feel ashamed for who we are or how our parents have dressed us. Our lifestyle, our language, our culture; anything that we do, we should not have to feel shame for that. [Realizing] that, that’s when I decided to become a teacher.” It is Ethan’s desire that every child, regardless of their background, receive an appropriate and positive education without fearing that they will be looked down upon or mistreated because of their heritage.
Debates surrounding the ideas of the westernization of education in Alaska and maintaining Native traditions have ignited the political and education landscape for more than 50 years. Ethan sees a future where “our children should be able to walk in both worlds and do equally well in both of them.” He goes on to say, “I think that we need to look at how we’re educating children and the results of those experiences, and we must change. We cannot continue doing the same thing.” According to Ethan, the only way progress will be made is by doing what is in the best interest of every child without exception.
With this vision Ethan has guided the development of two Head Start schools in Anchorage that serve Alaska Natives from cultural backgrounds all over the state. These unique learning environments are designed to reflect values of family, stewardship of the natural world, the familiarity of village life and decolonization. From the playgrounds, to the classrooms to the signage and materials, the environments have been shaped to respect and celebrate the people they serve.
Learning Objectives:
- Understand how design can address historical trauma in the occupants' community through cultural references in material, form, space, light and color.
- Learn how cultural embodiment in design can reflect respect for indigenous people.
- Hear the story of Cook Inlet Native Head Start's unique vision of decolonizing education for Alaska Native peoples and how they embodied this vision in building and playground designs.
- Learn about an early childhood education program in Anchorage serving Alaska Native people with support from Head Start.
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| 1:00 – 1:15 PM |
Vendors
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| 1:15 – 1:30 PM |
Break
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| 1:30 – 3:00 PM |
Presentation: Community and Education Facility Resiliency
The Community and Education Facility Resiliency presentation will explore three facility emergency case studies from the Lower Kuskokwim School District. They include a complete building fire, imminent building failure due to coastal erosion and planning for full community relocation due to global climate changes. These will be explored from the lens of community, emergency response, education program resiliency and what has been learned along the way. The overall goal is to bring the experiences of all participants together in a discussion on what we can learn from each other on the best way to respond and plan for education facility hardships.
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| 3:00 – 3:30 PM |
Closing Remarks – Dana Menendez
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