| THURSDAY | APRIL 20, 2023 10:45 AM
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| Reactivating Peer-to-Peer Learning and Academic Support Services Post-Covid |
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Research indicates multiple setbacks for college-level students after a prolonged period of remote learning during the pandemic. This session will share best practices and spark new ideas in using planning and design to drive transformative change for universities seeking to build forward-thinking academic support and success programs post-Covid. Our design solution for Cal State University Los Angeles’ (CSU-LA) new Center for Academic Success modernizes an obsolete academic support environment to create a forward-thinking prototype/new model for re-introducing dynamic in-person collaboration. Attendees will explore architectural design and planning methods that support critical transformations in a university setting; in particular, we will examine how the built environment supports and strengthens in-person, peer-to-peer learning.
Learning Objectives:
- Modernize an obsolete academic support model to become a forward-thinking prototype.
- Lead user-focused and story-driven planning workshops for an inclusive and interactive process that considers perspectives at the administrative, faculty, and student level.
- Use a comprehensive pre-design process to establish cost, scope, expectations, and test fits.
- Reactivate the dynamism of in-person academic support and peer-to-peer collaboration for university students post-Covid through architectural design.
Brian Minnich, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP, Associate Principal, Architecture for Education (A4E) – Portland Office
Brian is a licensed architect with more than 25 years of professional experience concentrated heavily on K-12 learning environments. As an Associate Principal, Brian oversees a broad variety of education-focused projects. Brian has served as a volunteer for the National AIA Committee on Architecture for Education (CAE) since 2009 and has been a member of the Executive Leadership Group of the CAE where he served as Chair in 2020.
Olivia Graf Doyle, Partner | Design Principal, Architecture for Education (A4E)
Olivia is Partner and Design Principal for A4E, a women-owned design firm that specializes in education architecture. Balancing aesthetics and curriculum-based innovations, she leads outstanding projects that begin with a clear concept rooted in storytelling. Olivia frequently speaks at education-focused conferences and serves as Chair of the American Institute of Architects’ Committee on Architecture for Education. She was recently honored as one of Building Design + Construction’s 40 Under 40.
Barbara Queen, Associate Vice President for Facilities, Planning, Design & Construction, Cal State LA
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| Changing the Narrative: How Grandview Heights Secondary School is Transforming Learning by Connecting the Dots |
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The administrative team at Grandview Heights Secondary School in Surrey, BC understood that many of their teachers would be coming in from very different experiences. To make sure everyone understood the important connection between their vision of student learning and teaching in these new spaces, they invested in professional learning that focused on how and why to use their new, collaborative furniture.
In this interactive learning session, participants will work together collaboratively in team-based conversations and hands-on activities. Get a glimpse into the work the Grandview teachers experienced how they have put it into place to transform the learning in their environments.
Learning Objectives:
- Learn how the design and furnishings of a learning environment can transform teaching and learning
- Learn how post-occupancy professional learning for teachers can maximize the learning experience for students
- Explore current research and best practices in teaching and how modern learning environments support it
- Explain the need for developing teacher buy-in and training to use new learning spaces.
Learner Engagement / Interactivity:
Participants will hear from Grandview Heights administration, teachers and students about the transformed school, its vision, and the challenges everyone faced before, during and after move-in.
Participants will work together collaboratively in team-based conversations and hands-on activities used with the Grandview teachers to experience how a transformed learning environments transforms the teaching and learning that takes place.
What is the Unique Value of the Session?
Teachers, administrators, and design professionals will hear from their peers about the real-life challenges a school faced in transforming its learning spaces, then participate in professional learning exercises like those that helped prepare the Grandview team to take advantage of new tools for teaching.
Patricia Cadigan, ALEP, M.Ed., VP / Learning Environments, Artcobell
Patricia has 28 years of experience in public education including more than 17 years in school administration. She began her career in education as a science teacher and then served as an assistant principal at the middle school level and principal at both the elementary and high school levels. In the last three years, she served as the Executive Director of Bond Projects, allowing her to bring all her experiences in teaching, learning, and leadership to create a vision of transformation. Implementing modern flexible furnishings and 1:1 technology devices, she helped transform learning throughout the district. Now, serving as the Vice President of Learning Environments at Artcobell, her passion is to help design innovative learning environments and provide professional learning for teachers to create change and impact student learning.
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| VITA (Vancouver Innovation Technology and Arts) Elementary School – Learning Happens Everywhere – From Learning Lab School to Magnet School |
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Initially designed for flexibility and with the motto that “Learning Happens Everywhere”, Vancouver Public Schools (VPS) delivered a modern, four-story building that supports the pedagogy of an Arts-focused Project Based Learning (PBL) program for Grades K-5. The school is located in the heart of Vancouver, Washington. VITA Elementary School is being used during its opening school year (2022-2023) as a district-wide Learning Lab for PBL engagement. The program will give 6,200 students from Grades 2-5 and their teachers a 1-2 week opportunity to deeply investigate this pedagogy. Upon completion, they have the ability to return to their classrooms with newly gained skills together. In each subsequent year, VITA will be a PBL magnet school for approximately 300 K-5 students. VPS collaborated with Hyphn to design and outfit active learning spaces to best support the teaching modalities through thoughtful and intentional programming. In an educational environment that will be changing frequently, the furniture was selected to support their needs for adaptability, flexibility and ease of use to manipulate rooms and create ownership of spaces based on various assignments. The learning studios will regularly transform from whole-class instruction to small groups to individual task sessions culminating with student presentations. To make the successful transition from Learning Lab to Magnet school, the initial program year will be critical for gathering user feedback and lessons learned to be applied towards the future PBL program at VITA Elementary.
Learning Objectives:
- Explore the relationship between facilities and learning and how changes in pedagogy can be supported by design.
- Discover ways space can serve as a learning tool to support and inspire students to observe and question their environment.
- Discover connections between building design and furniture systems that provide flexibility and adaptability for Project Based Learning within the elementary school setting.
- Learn how early adoption of a collaborative design process can positively impact the learning environment.
- How to use your facility as a means for community engagement.
Whitney Henion, Capital Projects Lead – Facilities Planning, Vancouver Public Schools
Whitney holds a Bachelor of Science, Architecture and Minor in Music from Washington State University, as well as an ALEP (Accredited Learning Environment Planner) Certificate. She serves on the City of Camas Design Review Committee, is active in the education community with Women in STEM programs, and lecturing about Architectural education to HS and MS kids whenever she gets a chance. She plays classical viola in a variety of groups and celebrates when she can get paid to play music.
Tim Cowan, Director of Education, Hyphn
Tim is Director of Education at Hyphn and has over twenty years of experience providing design services to the education market in the Pacific Northwest. He believes we can create inclusive spaces that holistically support and empower all individuals within their learning communities via collaborative design partnerships. Tim holds a Bachelor of Architecture and a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies from Washington State University.
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| THURSDAY | APRIL 20, 2023 1:00 PM
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| A Guide to Sensory Processing – Research and Implementation |
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The Sensory Room design framework is an initiative undertaken by Maskwacîs Education Schools Commission (MESC) to produce a guideline to incorporate the design ideas and to accommodate existing and new students in all MESC schools as a dedicated place for the development of headstart to high school students learning needs. The new Sensory Room will be designed to accommodate existing and new students in a culturally relevant, innovative, fun, sensory-focused space that provides opportunities for adaptable learning. Designed through the lens of MESC’s mission and vision, the new sensory room will embody the ethos and values of the community. The cultural understanding, coupled with a commitment to co-create authentic learning environments that reflect authentic learning, aims to create a facility that will both serve and anchor the community for generations to come.
Learning Objectives:
- The sensory processing and framework will exemplify calm and aid in the development of students in a healthy and thoughtful way by creating innovative learning opportunities and meeting each student’s needs.
- Develop inviting, culturally relevant environments in which students, staff, and therapists are part of the educational development process;
- Provide a safe, enabling, and nurturing environment for all students, regardless of their individual needs and challenges;
- Empower student pride, ownership, and a strong sense of community identity;
- Encourage family integration to carry the tools needed when students are home
- Support the planning and implementation of quality educational development, now and for the future; and •Integrate sustainable design with an outdoor view so that the room in the school building lives lightly upon the earth and establishes a connection to the nature and outdoors.
Julia Burrill, Director Capital Assets, Maskwacîs Education Schools Commission
Julia is the Capital Asset Director for Maskwacîs Education School Commission. MESC is one of the first First Nation school boards in Canada. It is located in Maskwacîs, Alberta. Previously there were 4 bands that came together to form one school board. Julia has worked as a Senior Project Manager with over 18 year’s experience, managing projects through all phases of a project -strategic planning to implementation/ turnover. At the City of Edmonton (CoE) she was the subject matter expert to develop a corporate wide project management process and then provided coaching and training . She worked for ATCO Electric as the Facility Manager where she managed the planning, design and delivery of large scale capital projects ( $330M+ yearly budget) across the province.
Claudia Yehia-Alaeddin, Architect, AAA, B.Arch, LEED AP BD+C, Principal, Reimagine Architects
Claudia is a Principal at Reimagine who specializes in the planning and design of educational facilities and has been involved in the completion of over 40 schools across North America. Born in Colombia and educated as an Architect in Lebanon, Claudia is a passionate advocate for the value of good design for learning environments and a firm believer in the ability of good design to empower youth to reach their full potential. Claudia currently serves as the Governor for the Pacific Northwest Region of the Association of Learning Environments (A4LE), where she has had an influential role in the development of the ‘School of the Future’ initiative across Alberta. In 2011, 2013, and 2017, her outstanding contributions were recognized by the A4LE. She firmly believes that space shapes behaviour, and that behaviour over time forms culture. Her work and passion for authentic school design has been recognized across Alberta and beyond. Most recently, Claudia was named in Edify Magazine's 'Top 40 under 40 Class of 2021.
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| Schools as “Game Changers” for Fostering Inclusion, Equity and Belonging |
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Federal Way Public Schools is Washington State’s most diverse school district. District leadership, the superintendent, and the board of directors had been learning collectively and implementing a strategic plan that addresses systemic challenges for their scholars. A new building for Olympic View K-8 was designed entirely during the restrictions of COVID-19 and heightened awareness of disproportionate challenges that it brought. Belonging and equity were prominent in the listening exercises the team conducted, and the design of a new building was a call to address them. The collaborative design process included teachers, families, and stakeholder groups like SOAR (Students Organized Against Racism) and the office of Equity for Scholar and Family Success. The new Olympic View K-8 is envisioned as a multicultural hub to fully meet the unique learning needs of each student. The playground is reimagined as a park, delivering immersive outdoor learning during the day while providing missing neighborhood amenities for community use after hours. Personalized learning design features provide opportunities for self-expression, reflection, and representation for a population with 86% students of color. Biophilic design advances the district’s sustainability goals with special attention given to scholar and teacher wellbeing. Nature is literally brought inside with natural finishes, abundant daylight, and a Whole Child Tree. Hear from extraordinary educational leaders about their experiences of improving opportunities for students of color and other marginalized communities. The presenters include members of the design team, the director of capital projects (himself an educator) and the Superintendent who championed equity for Federal Way Public Schools’ scholars and their families. We will share our learning about how inequity is manifest in the learning environment and the institution of school. We will share our exploration of how a school can play a meaningful role in creating a cohesive and safe neighborhood, and transformational experiences for scholars. We will reserve time in the session for a conversation about how the design of schools, and the process of design, can make a difference.
Learning Objectives:
- Hear how school district leadership creates a culture to change systemic barriers to opportunity and inclusion.
- Explore aspects of the built environment that foster a sense of inclusion and belonging by providing opportunities for self-expression and celebration of diversity.
- Understand how environmental responsibility and biophilia bring wellness and healing for the whole child.
- Discover ways schools can act as neighborhood parks to improve general livability and access to nature.
Michael Swartz, Executive Director of Capital Projects, Federal Way Public Schools
Michael is leading a $450M capital program that replaces 8 schools and the district’s Memorial Stadium. He has a relatively unique background for an Executive Director of Capital Projects, previously serving as Principal of Wildwood Elementary and as an educator before that. He brings a sensitivity that inspires design teams and guides the inclusion of stakeholders across the district in ways that have meaningful impact on the schools being built through his leadership.
Dr. Tammy Campbell, Ed.D., CEO, The Scholar First, Former Superintendent, Federal Way Public Schools
Dr. Tammy Campbell is the former superintendent of Federal Way Public Schools (FWPS) in Washington. FWPS is the most diverse district in the state, serving more than 23,000 students in 37 schools. Dr. Campbell led the district in increasing overall graduation rates and rates for students of color. During her tenure, FWPS boosted college enrollment and completion; expanded access to Advanced Placement courses; and industry recognized certifications for students in career and technical education.
Michael McGavock, AIA, Director of Learning Environments, McGranahan Architects
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| Creating Modern Learning Spaces – Designing and Building Schools With Mass Timber |
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Most public schools over the last century have been built out of steel and concrete, and they followed a relatively proscribed design formula that didn’t lend itself to ingenuity or innovation. Relatively recently, however, a trend has been emerging that sees new schools being designed and built entirely out of mass timber. Mass timber has a number of benefits that are particularly relevant with regards to school design construction. First and foremost, it facilitates the creation of 21st century learning environments through design approaches and construction methods that are unique to mass timber. Using mass timber means innovative designs for active learning spaces. All of a sudden, four classroom walls aren’t entirely necessary. That, in turn, means schools with distinct, open-concept learning neighbourhoods and communities; spaces that promote collaboration; spaces that are inherently flexible; and a consistent approach to daylighting to bring as much natural light as possible into the building. There are a number of other reasons to build schools out of mass timber: construction using pre-fabricated mass timber panels, columns, and beams is typically faster than steel and concrete buildings; mass timber can be designed to be more seismically resilient than traditional building materials; wood schools have a significant sustainability impact, both in terms of greenhouse gases created as well as embodied carbon; and exposed mass timber and biophilic design has been proven to promote health and wellness for students and staff. Thinkspace has designed a number of mass timber learning institutions that embody these characteristics: a four-storey mass timber school of business (Robert G. Kuhn Centre at Trinity Western University), British Columbia’s first three-storey hybrid mass timber elementary school (Ta’talu Elementary School), and the province’s first four-storey full mass timber elementary school (South Langford Elementary School). These three schools will serve as case studies to demonstrate the benefits, as well as the challenges, of designing and building learning facilities out of wood. This presentation will be delivered by Ray Wolfe, Architect AIBC and partner at Thinkspace Architecture Planning Interior Design Ltd., and Pete Godau, Director of Facilities at School District No. 62 (Sooke). Ray was the design architect for the Robert G. Kuhn Centre, and is currently overseeing the construction of Ta’talu; he has also been closely involved in the design of South Langford. Pete is overseeing the construction of South Langford, and was instrumental in the decision to use mass timber for this project.
Learning Objectives:
- Understanding some of the key considerations when designing and building mass timber and hybrid mass timber school buildings.
- Exploring the challenges and solutions when meeting the building code using a performance-based approach for mass timber schools.
- Reviewing current considerations when designing with mass timber and the impact on schedule, budget and sustainability targets.
- Identifying lessons learned unique to school facilities when building with mass timber and hybrid mass timber.
Ray Wolfe, AIBC, MRAIC, Architect, Partner, Thinkspace Architecture Planning Interior Design
Ray is an award-winning architect and partner at Thinkspace Architecture® Planning and Interior Design Ltd. He has been a proponent of mass timber in schools for a large portion of his career, and is the principal architect for the recently-completed four-storey mass timber Robert G. Kuhn Centre at Trinity Western University. Ray also led the team that just completed a new research report titled, "Wood Use in British Columbia Schools."
Pete Godau, Director of Facilities, School District No 62 (Sooke)
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| THURSDAY | APRIL 20, 2023 3:20 – 4:20 PM
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| Women in School Design & Construction Panel |
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This panel discussion will provide different perspectives of women who are part of school design and construction teams. The group will learn to incorporate, engage, and promote the different points of view that women bring to a school design or construction project.
Learning Objectives:
- Learn the importance of inspiring the designers and contractors and the next generation working on school projects.
- Gain insight on what women designers and contractors see differently when designing or constructing a school facility.
- Learn the challenges women in school design and construction have overcome.
- Learn from women's perspective what makes school design and construction different.
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| SATURDAY | APRIL 22, 2023 9:00 AM
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| Building a Future Where ProSocial Learning Experiences™ and Environments™ Accelerate Student Engagement and Learning Success |
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As we prepare today’s students for life and work in our rapidly changing world, endless possibilities await them in future careers. Our goal is to prepare learners for this new world where teamwork for complex problem solving will be the norm. Research shows that students engaged in the learning process exhibit greater attention and focus, increased willingness to solve complex problems, and significant improvement in long-term learning. Accelerating engagement for learning success focuses on the science of how students learn and the science behind space design. Key elements of accelerating engagement are ProSocial Learning Experiences™ that activate learners’ Social Brains and ProSocial Learning Environments™ that function as an instructional tool. This presentation will explore the possibilities of enhanced learner success through:
ProSocial Learning Experiences™ ProSocial Learning Environments™ ProSocial Learning Ecosystems™.
Imagine future learning where:
- Students take ownership of their learning process and progress.
- Healthy relationships flourish between student peers and students and adults.
- Learning experiences intertwine academic, social, and emotional skill development.
- The “collaborative hum” of student voices permeates learning spaces.
- Learn how ProSocial Learning Experiences, ProSocial Learning Environments, and ProSocial Learning Ecosystems can shape the future of learning.
Learning Objectives:
- Explore research on the Social Brain and its impact on space design and student engagement.
- Delve into the elements of ProSocial Learning Experiences™, Environments™ and Ecosystems™.
- Examine the relationship of the environment to the ProSocial learning process.
- Discover the importance of space design that allows intertwining of academic, social, and emotional skill development.
Dr. Page Dettmann, ALEP, Chief Education Evangelist, Meteor Education
Page Dettmann is the Chief Education Evangelist at MeTEOR Education. She is a leading voice in educational research and best practice conversations around the intersection of pedagogy and space to accelerate learner engagement. Page collaborates with district leaders and architects on learning and space transformation to prepare college, career and life ready students. She speaks nationally on leading cultural change, the application of neuroscience to learning and space design, and the impact of learning spaces on learning experiences. A former district executive, building administrator, and teacher at various levels for 30 years, Dr. Dettmann always prioritized supporting teachers to inspire students through collaborative inquiry learning experiences that foster deep learning and curious, inquiring students. Page has been recognized by Microsoft and Texas Instruments and contributes as faculty at the Global Center for College & Career Readiness. She is among the pioneers using real-time neuro-biological signal to measure student engagement in the classroom.
Lesley Lindell, Learning Experience Coordinator, Meteor Education
My role as a Learning Experience Coordinator is to come along side your administrators and educators to ensure your learning goals, student engagement, and expectations for student outcomes are at the forefront of our discussions and work together. I serve as the educational voice in the design process and a consultant for the educators on your team to continue to deepen their professional skills. With over 18 years in education, I have served as a teacher of many disciplines from Pre-K through 12th grade, an instructional coach, an assistant principal, a development coordinator, and finally a building principal. Now with MeTEOR Education, I am able to help schools all over the Pacific Northwest increase student engagement through designing instructionally sound learning environments and delivering quality professional development all aligned to each school’s individual goals and needs.
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| Collaboration is Key – Delivering the Best in Design-Build Projects |
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The design-build process of constructing new K-12 schools provides an opportunity for architects, consultants, and educators to collaborate in the creation of unique, diverse, and innovative educational environments. This process, which sees a design team work hand-in-hand with builders to deliver educational facilities on time and on budget, is full of possibilities – especially when the focus is placed on collaboration. This presentation will explore the common threads that exist between two geographically diverse design-build elementary school projects, one in Chilliwack, BC and the other in Whitehorse, YT. Both projects have striking similarities, from their approach to site conditions to educational requirements. Innovation in design, managing extreme climates, incorporation of First Nations insight and principles will be discussed and explored through the lens of a progressive design-build process. The presentation will also examine the lessons learned during the design process, as well as the construction phase of these schools – with a focus on the importance of collaboration throughout the project. Presenters for this topic will be Lee Blanchard, Architect AIBC, AAA, who is based in Surrey, BC; and Mary Ellen Read, Architect AIBC, NWTAA, AIA, who is based in Whitehorse, YT. Lee and Mary Ellen are passionate advocates of highly functional learning environments for students, and both have experience with the rewards of delivering schools under design-build contracts. They will be joined by a representative of the Chilliwack School District, who will be speaking on the new Stitó:s Lá:lém Totí:lt Elementary / Middle School, which was delivered through a progressive design-build procurement method.
Learning Objectives:
- Deliver a full understanding of what the design-build process for schools entails.
- Explore the opportunities, as well as challenges and rewards, inherent in design-build projects.
- Explore some of the unique opportunities that were leveraged in two specific design-build school projects.
- Examine the lessons learned from these two design-build projects.
Lee Blanchard, AIBC, AAA, Architect, Partner, Thinkspace Architecture Planning Interior Design
Lee is an architect and partner at Thinkspace. He has over 15 years’ experience, with a primary focus on education projects. Lee’s work combines a unique and strong design sensibility with technical skills gained in his previous career as an architectural technologist. Lee is expert at 3D digital modelling, rendering and the creation of study and display / presentation materials. His design skills have led Thinkspace to win four recent design-build competitions.
Mary Ellen Read, AIBC, NWTAA, AIA, Architect, Principal, Northern Front Studio
Mary Ellen is an architect registered to practice with the AIBC, the NWT Architects Association, and the AIA in Alaska. With over 22 years of practical experience in building design and project management, she has worked on a wide variety of projects including institutional, commercial, and residential work, addressing the unique challenges of building in Canada’s North. Since 2010, Mary Ellen has run Northern Front Studio, a full-service architecture firm in Whitehorse, Yukon.
Allan Van Tassel, Director of Facilities & Transportation, Chilliwack School District #33
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| The Importance of Play: VITA Elementary School Education and Play in a K-5 Project-based Learning Facility |
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Vancouver Innovation Technology and Arts (VITA) Elementary School is a prime example of ‘play’ elements being used to help drive and activate a broader educational theme and pedagogy, in ways that enhance the learning environment for everyone. With limited space and a very demanding set of program needs, the solar system-themed school offers kids an entirely novel and exciting space to learn that fits naturally within Vancouver Public School’s goals for VITA: to be a unique 21st century learning environment for students to participate in a hands-on project-based learning experience area.
Learning Objectives:
- Understand what is unique about a project-based learning environment.
- Approaching the design of a building while also creating a site masterplan.
- How change your mindset and turn constraints into opportunities that enhance the learning environment.
- Engaging client stakeholders and other local partners to provide community focused solutions to educational facilities.
Kyle Rogers, Associate AIA | Associate
Kyle is a strategic planner whose unique ability is to lead the establishment of priorities, define objectives, and prepare highly efficient plans to achieve project goals. Kyle’s propensity to manage highly creative tasks through structured processes has proven highly valuable on many large, complex projects. His innovative technical skillset is bolstered by a passion for empowerment and mentorship, making him a great advocate for K-12 districts and expands his ability to deliver meaningful design solutions which spark learning through curiosity and exploration. In addition to his role as an Associate, Kyle is the Director of Design CoMission, LSW’s internship program for aspiring designers and design-minded students from high schools across Southwest Washington. A creative leader in his own right, Kyle blends a deep passion for people and experience through his profession to continually push the envelope of spaces that engage, empower, and inspire.
In response to his involvement on Vancouver Innovative, Technology and Arts (VITA) Elementary School, Kyle stated:
“I was brought into the project during design development where I primarily focused on exterior design and detailing as well as general BIM model management. It was within this role where the binary code windows and other integrated "easter eggs" were developed—all extensions of our design theme of Learning Happens Everywhere, sparking curiosity and exploration. These intentional design decisions embodied the spirit of VITA Elementary, redefining what personalized education and exploration looks like within a completely new type of learning environment. I also functioned as the lead CA contact during construction, educating the general contractor on public project processes and working to uphold the project vision and ensure it was delivered as intended. Maximizing the impact of the physical space, I also worked closely with Riff_ Creative, our sister creative agency, to deliver the space-themed wall murals throughout the building.”
Esther Liu, AIA, LEED AP, NCARB | President
Esther is a relentless advocate for user-centric and world-class design that prioritizes human health, connectivity, and belonging. With more than twenty-five years of experience, an extensive resume of nationally recognized projects to her name, and as LSW’s president, she is one of the firm’s leading voices championing design excellence and sustainability as well as diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. She brings an immense depth of experience in planning, designing, and leading teams on large public and private projects, including K-12 education facilities, mixed-use and multifamily housing, high-rises, adaptive reuse, and urban master planning. Esther has a strong emotional skillset that allows her to connect with staff, consulting teams, and our clients, grounding every project in a shared sense of trust, respect, and support.
Esther acted as Principal-in-Charge on VITA Elementary, one of Vancouver Public Schools’ most forward-thinking projects that has set out to redefine the learning experience for our future generations. Her involvement in the feasibility and predesign phases was critical as she has spent years working with the district to refine the vision as well as find land to build such a unique and innovative space. That effort began in 2015, with design starting in 2017 and permitting in 2020—an especially long timeframe given the project's uniqueness.
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| SATURDAY | APRIL 22, 2023 10:15 AM
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| Engaged Trauma-Informed Planning Workshops |
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Imagine the possibilities of working collaboratively to help all students be ready to learn and help educators focus on what they are passionate about – teaching. Trauma is pervasive and its effects on our learners and educators cannot be ignored. Healing from Trauma is necessary before academic and performance expectations are set. We will share facilitation ideas that assist design teams engage with stakeholders to develop strategies for incorporating Trauma-Informed Design into their projects. Using the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) framework - Inclusion Activities, Engaging Strategies, and Optimistic Closures – this session will be an interactive workshop guiding participants in methods to engage diverse communities in the critical implementation of Social-Emotional Learning, Trauma-Informed Care (TIC), and Trauma-Informed Design (TID). Through the lens of a TIC expert, a school administrator, and an architect we will guide participants in individual reflection, small group activities, and whole group synthesis to enhance the conversation about trauma in our schools and the need for positive interventions such as SEL, TIC and TID (referencing our Trauma-Informed Design Workbook V4). Attendees will leave with a playbook of activities to inspire participants to develop workshop strategies for their own stakeholder groups.
Learning Objectives:
- Raise awareness of trauma in our schools and its impact on learning.
- Develop an understanding of stakeholder engagement methodologies in order to incorporate TID into projects.
- The facilitation tools will be customizable for different communities of learners.
- Practice and experience varying facilitation methods to gain a deeper understanding of how to shape a deeper discussion and incorporation of the methods.
- Provide actionable tools (TID Workbook and playbook of facilitation activities).
Joe Echeverri, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, Principal, Bassetti Architects
Joe is a Principal at Bassetti Architects with over 20 years of experience. As the leader of Bassetti’s Portland office, he leads stakeholder engagement for educational facilities throughout the region. He has a keen interest in the role that Trauma-informed Design can play in helping our educators and learners succeed and in how we can work with stakeholders to implement it into projects. In addition to his passion for architectural design, he enjoys inspiring students through his work with the Association for Learning Environments (A4LE), and student intern mentorship program within the Bassetti Portland office.
Mandy Davis, Ph.D, Professor, Director of Trauma-Informed, Oregon Portland State University
Mandy is the Director of Trauma Informed Oregon and Professor of Practice at Portland State University’s School of Social Work. Dr. Davis specializes in providing training, consultation and supervision to systems, organizations and providers on topics related to implementing trauma informed care and services. In addition to her systems change work, Dr. Davis provides training in the Trauma Recovery Empowerment Model (TREM). Dr. Davis has over 20 years of experience working with survivors of trauma.
Theresa David-Turner, Educational Consultant
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| Imagine a Space for Healing |
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This is the story of Newtok, a village located on the Ninglick River in the Lower Yukon near the Bering Sea, and creating a new home for a traditional Yup’ik Native Alaskan community that has been significantly affected by climate change. This is about the role of a new school helping heal the trauma of one’s ancestral homeland sinking as the permafrost thaws, as storm surge and flooding erode the foundations of your community, and in being forced to relocate. It is about how to plan when the riverbank, once over a half-mile from the Newtok School, is now within 35 feet of the school facilities. This is the story of one effort to meet the needs of a community using the tools of educational facilities planning to amplify the voices of families dispersed by the effects of climate change who are not in a position to advocate for themselves. The session looks at how Lower Kuskokwim School District (LKSD) tackled the challenge of planning a new school for a population with one-third of the community families in diaspora but committed to returning to their ancestral homeland. In the early 2000s, planning began for relocating the village of Newtok to the new site of Mertarvik nine miles upriver. To date, approximately a third of community families have relocated to the new village site, another third remains in Newtok waiting for homes to be built, and a third have been forced to flee elsewhere due to loss of their homes. More and more school districts will face the challenge of planning for an uncertain future when once stable communities are disrupted by sea level rise, droughts and floods, or wildfires. Understanding the urgency of building the New Mertarvik School and preparing for a managed retreat of the existing facility, LKSD began design in January 2022. In Fall of 2022, the State of Alaska Department of Education and Early Development (DEED), funding agency for the new facility, proposed the District hold a Value Analysis Planning Workshop to validate the program area and school size, identify strategies to improve value of the design, and reduce the gap between the DEED project budget and LKSD estimated cost. A significant issue that emerged during the workshop was the State’s traditional means of budgeting for allowable gross square footage (GSF) did not account for the diaspora families, under-projecting the future student population, allowable facility GSF, and capital budget. Over three intense days of the Workshop, an alternative rubric for projecting Mertarvik’s future student population was devised, demographic research compiled by District staff and students, interviews held with community development staff, and numbers crunched. The session will present the alternative methodologies applied in the Value Analysis Planning Workshop and share the outcome which resulted in an increase of 20% in allowable GSF and 40% in funding, enabling the school to more fully serve the community need. It is our goal to share lessons learned to help other communities and districts faced with the uncertainties brought on by climate change to plan for the future with greater insight.
Learning Objectives:
- Develop an understanding of how the impacts related to a changing climate can affect school facilities planning and development.
- Develop an understanding of the relationships between community demographics, population trends, facilities planning, and capital budgeting.
- Develop an understanding of how the tools of Value Planning and Value Analysis can be leveraged in a workshop setting to engage stakeholders and facilitate the capital planning process.
- Develop an understanding of how to innovate and apply educational facilities planning tools to address challenges imposed by a changing climate.
Kim Sweet, Director of Operations, Lower Kuskokwim School District
Kim is in her 28th year as an educator. Previous roles include teacher, instructional facilitator, and principal. She has worked for the Lower Kuskokwim School District for the past 7 years in a variety of roles and is currently the Director of Operations supporting 27 schools with approximately 4,000 students spread across 22,000 miles in the largest school district in Alaska. In this role, she supports the development of new schools to meet the needs of the students, staff, and community. She lives and works in Bethel, AK with her husband Greg and dog Amelia.
Steven Paget, Certified Value Specialist, LEED AP, Principal, Säzän Group
Steven is a Principal with Säzän Group supporting government, tribal, educational, and institutional clients in the Pacific Northwest, with a focus on sustainability strategies for the built environment, feasibility studies, programming and design charrette facilitation, value planning and analysis, and sustainable design cost/benefit analysis. He has worked on K-12 and higher education projects since 2001 and began participating in A4LE soon after. Steven has an MPA in Environmental Policy and Management, a graduate certificate in K-12 Education and Early Childhood Development, Certificate in Environmental Management and Sustainability, and a BA in Environmental Design.
Bryce Hamels, AIA, LEED AP, RRO, Project Architect, BDS Architects
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| Indigenous Schools – the Past Informing the Future |
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Indigenous schools in the USA, Canada, and other colonized lands in the “New World” have for centuries charted a frequently heartbreaking and devastating course through the lives of Indigenous peoples. As these horrific injustices are being recognized by the wider societies, so too is a re-examination and emerging understanding of Indigenous cultures and ways of learning. This session seeks to build upon that to explore lessons and some exciting inspirations for the design of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous learning environments.
To the peoples variously styled by now-dominant colonizing cultures as Indian, Native American/Canadian, Aboriginal, First Nation, Metis, Inuit, Alaska Native, or other, these government-sponsored and church-run schools were designed to use education as vehicle for the destruction of Indigenous cultures, languages, and ways of life. The results of these policies and practices are evident today: graduation rates the lowest of any demographic; incarceration, substance abuse, and fatal encounters with law enforcement the highest. Central to addressing these issues and widespread cultural appropriation through transformative healing practices are schools. There is hope, real progress, and potentially exciting opportunities. This session will examine three models:
- The USA and Canadian Residential Boarding School systems as a devastating model for the harm caused to generations of Indigenous learners and communities that are only just beginning to be acknowledged by the dominant non-Indigenous society.
- Examples of contemporary Indigenous Schools throughout the Pacific Northwest will be examined, including through a recorded discussion with an Indigenous leader overseeing the establishment of a new school for the rural Frog Lake First Nation in northern Alberta.
- Indigenous learning practices and models. Concepts to be explored include experiential learning; cultural relevance in process, learning, and built form; community and generational involvement; the importance of storytelling; outdoor and nature-based learning and learning environments.
Historically, western-based approaches were imposed. Recent reintroduction of traditional, culturally-relevant learning approaches and designs are helping indigenous communities restore their cultures and heal their people. Beyond the architecture, this session will incorporate Indigenous voices. These authentically diverse perspectives will help explore how traditional Indigenous approaches and attitudes towards learning can inform dominant colonizing cultures and mainstream educational thinking and design.
Learning Objectives:
- Develop awareness of how the legacy and trauma from historic practices continues to impact Indigenous survivors and communities today.
- Develop knowledge of the history of Indigenous residential boarding schools throughout North America and how they continue today.
- Develop understanding of current trends in the design and delivery of contemporary Indigenous schools.
- Explore opportunities for incorporating into non-Indigenous schools traditional and contemporary Indigenous approaches to learning – experiential, culture, community, interdisciplinary, nature-based.
Ross Parker, AIA, ALEP, Education Studio Lead, Arcadis IBI Group
Ross is the Education Studio Lead for Arcadis IBI Group in Seattle, WA. He has a passion for inclusive, culturally relevant experiential design of educational facilities connecting pedagogy to design to nature. His 3-decade architectural portfolio spans from northern Canada, the UK, the US West Coast, and US South. It includes three James D. MacConnell Awards projects – 2010 recipient and 2004 and 2020 finalists. He is currently co-chair A4LE’s JEDI Committee.
Dr. Terri-Lynn Fox, Sociologist, Director of Kainai Wellness Centre and Professor at Mount Royal University
Dr. Fox honours the spirit of victims and families, their survival, and the cultural resiliency of those traumatized by the Indian Residential Schools that operated into the 1990’s. Her graduate thesis Intergenerational Communication & Well-Being in Aboriginal Life addressed issues concerning lack of communication of traditional ways of knowing, teaching, and being due to colonization, assimilation, and segregation. Her participation will be pre-recorded.
Cliffton Cross, Council Member, Frog Lake First Nations
Cliffton is a Council Member of Frog Lake First Nations, with responsibility for portfolios of Education, Daycare, Youth and Recreation. He was born, educated, and raised a family in FLFN. For 10 years he served as FLFN Youth and Recreation Director and recently oversaw completion of the new Frog Lake High School and First Nation Intermunicipal Library, including securing funding to create some semblance of equitable opportunity for his community. His participation will be pre-recorded.
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