09.18.2018 —The Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA) and Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) have announced the winners of the annual Exhibit of School Architecture competition, which showcases new and renovated Texas schools and celebrates excellence in planning and design of the learning environment. The exhibit will be a feature at the organizations’ joint convention in Austin September 28-30, 2018.
Twenty-seven projects in 26 school districts received 2018 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 |
| Alvin ISD | Alvin CTE: JB Hensler College and Career Academy | Buck Gilcrease | PBK | Community, School Transformation |
| Arlington ISD | Dan Dipert Career + Technical Center | Marcelo Cavazos | VLK Architects | Design, Value, Community, Planning, School Transformation |
| Boerne ISD | Fabra Elementary School | Thomas Price | LPA, Inc. | School Transformation |
| Bryan ISD | Sul Ross Elementary School Additions & Renovations | Christie Whitbeck | Stantec | Design, Planning |
| Corsicana ISD | Corsicana Middle School | Diane Frost | Stantec | Community |
| Cypress-Fairbanks ISD | Cypress-Fairbanks ISD Educational Village | Mark Henry | IBI Group | Community, School Transformation |
| Dallas ISD | Personalized Learning at Dallas ISD | Michael Hinojosa | HKS, Inc. | Community, School Transformation |
| Del Valle ISD | Del Valle High School Athletic Complex | Kelly Crook | Stantec | School Transformation |
| Denton ISD | Rodriguez Middle School | Jamie Wilson | Corgan | Sustainability, Planning |
| Fort Bend ISD | James Patterson Elementary School | Charles E. Dupre | Huckabee | School Transformation |
| Fort Worth ISD | Van Zandt-Guinn Elementary School | Kent Paredes Scribner | Perkins+Will | Planning |
| Georgetown ISD | Annie Purl Elementary School | Fred Brent | Huckabee | Community, Planning, School Transformation |
| Georgetown ISD | George Wagner Middle School | Fred Brent | Huckabee | Design, Community, Planning, School Transformation |
| Grand Prairie ISD | Grand Prairie High School | Susan Simpson Hull | Corgan | Community, Planning, School Transformation |
| Houston Community College | West Houston Institute | Cesar Maldonado (Chancellor) | HarrisonKornberg Architects/PBK | Design |
| Houston ISD | Milby High School | Grenita Lathan | Kirksey Architecture | Design, Value, Sustainability, Community, Planning, School Transformation |
| Irving ISD | Elise Walker Outdoor Learning Center | Jose L. Parra | Stantec | Value, Sustainability, Community |
| Katy ISD | Katy ISD Education Village | Lance Hindt | PBK | Community, School Transformation |
| Kaufman ISD | Kaufman High School | Lori Blaylock | Huckabee | School Transformation |
| Keller ISD | Keller Center for Advanced Learning | Rick Westfall | Corgan | Community, Planning, School Transformation |
| Manor ISD | Manor New Tech Middle School | Royce Avery | Stantec | Design, Value, Community, Planning, School Transformation |
| New Caney ISD | Infinity Early College High School | Kenn Franklin | Stantec | School Transformation |
| North East ISD | Nimitz Middle School | Brian G. Gottardy | LPA, Inc. | Community |
| San Antonio ISD | Highlands High School | Pedro Martinez | Pfluger Architects | School Transformation |
| Southwest ISD | Southwest Legacy High School | Lloyd Verstuyft | Pfluger Architects | Community, Planning |
| Texas City ISD | Industrial Trades Center | Rodney Cavness | IBI Group | Community, School Transformation |
| Van ISD | J. E. Rhodes Elementary School | Don Dunn | Harris Craig Architects, Inc. | Community |
Four 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:
- Arlington ISD (VLK Architects)
- Georgetown ISD (Huckabee)
- Houston ISD (Kirksey Architecture)
- Manor ISD (Stantec)
The Caudill Class winners will be announced at the 2019 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 2018 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.