09.20.2017— The Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA) and Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) have announced the school architecture projects earning Stars of Distinction in the 2017-18 Exhibit of School Architecture competition, which annually showcases new and renovated Texas schools and celebrates excellence in planning and design of the learning environment. The projects will be on display in the Exhibit of School Architecture at the TASA/TASB Convention, to be held in Dallas at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center October 6-8.
Twenty-seven projects in 24 school districts received 2017 Stars of Distinction for excellence in one or more areas of distinction, which include: community, planning, transformation, design, value and sustainability. They include:
| District | Project | Superintendent | Architecture Firm | Stars of Distinction |
| Abilene ISD | Johnston Elementary School | David Young | Parkhill, Smith & Cooper, Inc. | Value, Planning, School Transformation |
| Alvin ISD | Shadow Creek High School | Buck Gilcrease | Stantec | Design, Value, Planning, School Transformation |
| Arlington ISD | Workman Junior High School | Marcelo Cavazos | Brown Reynolds Watford Architects | Planning |
| Castleberry ISD | Gary S. Jones Administration Building Historic Preservation | John Ramos | WRA Architects | Sustainability, Community |
| Coppell ISD | Coppell Life Safety Park | Brad Hunt | Brown Reynolds Watford Architects | Design, Community |
| Crosby ISD | Crosby High School | Keith Moore | cre8 Architects | Planning |
| Cuero ISD | Cuero High School | Micah Dyer | Claycomb Associates, Architects | Value |
| Denton ISD | Ray Braswell High School | Jamie Wilson | VLK Architects | Design, Value |
| Fort Worth ISD | Washington Heights Elementary School | Kent Scribner | WRA Architects | Community, Planning |
| Granbury ISD | Granbury High School | James Largent | Huckabee | School Transformation |
| Houston ISD | Charles Atherton Elementary School | Richard Carranza | IDG Architects, Inc. | Design, Value, Sustainability |
| Houston ISD | Mandarin Immersion Magnet School | Richard Carranza | PBK | Community, Planning |
| Houston ISD | Sterling Aviation High School | Richard Carranza | Stantec | Sustainability, Community, School Transformation |
| Houston ISD | Condit Elementary School | Richard Carranza | VLK Architects | Design, Community, Planning, School Transformation |
| Hutto ISD | Howard Norman Elementary School | Eduardo Ramos | Pfluger Architects | Value, Sustainability, Community |
| Judson ISD | Copperfield Elementary School | Carl Montoya | Stantec | Value |
| Katy ISD | Bethke Elementary School | Lawrence Hindt | VLK Architects | Value, Planning, School Transformation |
| Leander ISD | Tom Glenn High School | Dan Troxell | Pfluger Architects | School Transformation |
| Lubbock ISD | Lubbock High School Auditorium Renovation | Berhl Robertson | BGR Architects, Inc. | Design, Value, Community |
| McKinney ISD | McKinney North High School | Rick McDaniel | Stantec | Design, Community, Planning, School Transformation |
| Midlothian ISD | Dolores W. McClatchey Elementary School | Lane Ledbetter | VLK Architects | School Transformation |
| Northwest ISD | Northwest ISD Outdoor Learning Center | Ryder Warren | Stantec | Design, Value, Sustainability, Community |
| O’Donnell ISD | O’Donnell High School/Middle School | Cathy Palmer | Parkhill, Smith & Cooper, Inc. | Design, Planning |
| Plano ISD | Plano East Senior High School Health Sciences Academy | Brian Binggeli | WRA Architects | Community, School Transformation |
| Sunnyvale ISD | Sunnyvale Middle School Next Generation Addition/Renovation | Doug Williams | WRA Architects | Community |
| Texas City ISD | William R. Blocker Addition and Renovations | Rodney Cavness | Texas-IBI Group, Inc. | Design, Sustainability, Community, School Transformation |
| West ISD | West High School / Middle School | David Truitt | Huckabee | Planning |
Five projects received at least four stars from the six areas of distinction and were chosen as finalists for the competition’s highest level of recognition, the Caudill Class, which is named after Texas architect William Wayne Caudill (1914–1983), whose progressive concepts continue to influence school design. Those districts and architecture firms include:
- Alvin ISD (Stantec)
- Houston ISD (VLK Architects)
- McKinney ISD (Stantec)
- Northwest ISD (Stantec)
- Texas City ISD (Texas-IBI Group, Inc.)
The Caudill Class winners will be announced at the 2018 TASA Midwinter Conference in Austin in January.
The Exhibit of School Architecture awards are given at the discretion of a 12-member jury, which includes: four school board members, four administrators, two representatives from the Texas Society of Architects and two representatives from the Association for Learning Environments (A4LE). To be eligible for consideration for the 2017 Exhibit of School Architecture, projects had to be newly constructed or renovated public education facilities completed in the past five years.
TASA is the professional association for Texas school administrators, providing networking and professional learning opportunities, legislative advocacy, and targeted communications to support the work of superintendents and other school leaders. The organization’s mission is to promote, provide, and develop leaders who create and sustain student-centered schools and develop future-ready students.
TASB is an association established in 1949 to serve local public school boards. School board members are the largest group of publicly elected officials in the state. The districts they represent serve approximately 5.3 million students. TASB’s mission is to promote educational excellence for Texas schoolchildren through advocacy, visionary leadership, and high-quality services to school districts.