‘School of the Future’ Design Competition Finalists Announced

WASHINGTON — Six teams of middle-school students from across North America and the United Kingdom will travel to the Washington, D.C., to compete in the final leg of the School of the Future Design Competition, the centerpiece of School Building Week from April 23-27.

School Building Week is held annually to strengthen public awareness of the importance of well-planned, healthy, safe and high-performing school buildings that enhance student and teacher performance and contribute to community culture and vitality. The annual competition challenges teams to think creatively as they design schools that enhance learning, conserve resources, are environmentally responsive and engage the surrounding community.

Regional juries selected a first- and second place-winner with cash prizes of $500 and $250, respectively. The winning team will represent that region at the national jury, to be held at the National Education Association on April 25.

Open to middle school students, the School of the Future Competition is sponsored by the Council of Educational Facility Planners International and the National Association of Realtors along with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the American Institute of Architects, the American Federation of Teachers, the National Education Association, the U.S. Green Building Council and more than 20 associations and private companies.

The Council of Educational Facility Planners International (CEFPI)

FINALISTS

First Place

Imago Dei Middle School
Tucson, Ariz.

Newtown Middle School
Newtown, Conn.

Seneca Middle School
Macomb, Mich.

Teeland Middle School
Wasilla, Ark.

University Middle School
Austin, Texas

Highfield Humanities College
Blackpool, Lancashire, U.K

Second Place

Our Lady of Lourdes School
Northridge, Calif.

St. Michael’s Academy
Springfield, Mass.

Oakwood Junior High School
Dayton, Ohio

Avalon Junior High School
Edmonton, AB, Canada

Kids Rethink New Orleans Schools
New Orleans, La.

Archbishop Sentamu Academy
Hull, Lancashire, U.K.