Experience K-12 Vol 8

VLK ARCHITECTS, INC.

EXPERIENCE K-12 VOLUME 8

CONTENTS

Table of

03 05 08

In this Experience The Power of Presence Presence at the Polls

Presence in Design

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Sherman High School Sherman ISD

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Gerald D. Young Agricultural Sciences Center Katy ISD

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Bobby Summers Middle School Royse City ISD

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Bill R. Johnson CTE Center Crowley ISD

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Cottonwood Creek, Nadine Johnson, and Veterans' Hill Elementary Schools Hutto ISD

VLK | LINK® Presence within VLK Moving Forward

Cottonwood Creek Elementary School, Hutto4ISDVLK Architects, Inc.

In this

EXPERIENCE

Dear Reader, When it was time to decide on our theme this year, we struggled with the many sentiments currently abounding regarding the pandemic. One thing was clear to us, we, as a society and as learning organizations, were absent from our beloved schools for some time. Rather than focus on what used to be, or try to describe what life was like during the pandemic, we want to take you on a journey of the power of presence. We know that presence makes a difference.

Dalane Bouillion, Ed.D., Chief Development Officer

Being present is one way to consider the theme, but the power of influence because of someone’s presence is another.

We all know of someone who has presence when he or she enters a room. Students feel the presence of their teachers with the many talents they use to offer influence while teaching. Students are acquiring that same type of presence when they learn to work together, to collaborate, to problem solve as teams, and share their thoughts with a larger group.

We hope this edition’s journey makes our presence known to you in many ways. We strive to design the environments that allow for teaching and learning to exercise presence within every space we create together with our clients.

Ken Hutchens, Chief Creative Officer

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Marine Creek Middle School, VLK Architects, ISD Inc. Eagle6Mountain-Saginaw

The Power of

PRESENCE Dalane Bouillion, Ed.D., Chief Development Officer

Presence “is the experience of bringing one’s whole self to full attention so as to perceive what is happening in the moment” Rodgers & Raider Roth, 2006, p. 267

W

e all attend meetings. Today, we seem to have to pay particular attention to the venue. Is the meeting going to be in person, will it be conducted via Zoom, or some other format?

When we are invited to a meeting, we note the time, location, and the meeting leader. We think about our teammates, and who else will be in attendance. As the meeting approaches, we plan our travel time, our clothes, and either arrive, or log on to join the meeting. If we physically walk into a room for the assembly, those who see us consider us “present” for the meeting. The same happens when our resemblance presents itself digitally for a virtual call. Those already on the call note the newcomer as “present.” As attendees, once we walk or log on into the meeting, our mindset shifts as we prepare for the meeting to get started.

The same idea of being present occurs with students. Due to the pandemic, both settings present themselves in education as well. Students may be attending school in person, or they may be logging on for class. Regardless, teachers are still responsible noting who is “present” for class so each may be given credit for attendance. Like the meeting scenario with adults, there are people in the room attending. They are present, but are they present? Being present implies more than the fact of existing in the room, or on the call. Are the students there and ready to learn? Do they signal presence?

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Left: Dan Dipert Career + Technical Center, Arlington ISD Right: McClatchey Elementary School, Midlothian ISD

Presence “is the experience of bringing one’s whole self to full attention so as to perceive what is happening in the moment” (Rodgers & RaiderRoth, 2006, p. 267). It is the existence of realized perception, and the alignment to the social, emotional (SEL), and physical complexities in the learning environment. It allows students to be aware of all aspects that contribute to their learning, and it can evoke a feeling of engagement.

When students are physically present in a school building, certain learning environment conditions should be met for them to connect with the learning opportunities presented.

The learning environment evokes emotion. For students to commit to not only be physically present, but also for sustained cognitive and social presence, teachers must be intentional about the use of the learning spaces.

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The physical space of the learning environment, when designed to support ideas such as presence, can have an intended and positive impact on students. Do students choose to be present? If they do, they are building knowledge, and honing their skills, but they are also demonstrating communication, both verbally and through their body language. They reveal how they work with others, and what message they send about themselves. Well-planned instruction with purposeful design makes the difference that students need to be physically, emotionally, and cognitively present in the built environment. VLK Architects works to understand clients’ visions and intentions for students both academically and socially, fulfilling the undergirding needed to design appropriate and supportive spaces for successful teaching and learning. Part of VLK’s process allows us to be fully aware of the importance of student presence.

Students who are comfortable both with themselves, and the learning environment, can achieve presence with ease. Common sense tells us that students perform better when they can see and hear well, while not being packed into tight spaces. Noise, light, air quality, temperature, and use of color all influence behavior. When these conditions are right for students, and the environment is purposefully designed for the content and/or the intended learning activities, presence can result.

The return to face-to-face instruction offers the opportunity for physical, social, and cognitive presence that teachers want for their students.

Learning environments, wherever that may take place, should support the notion of student presence so that while learning occurs, students also have personal and intellectual comfort in their space. When students are comfortable in their learning environment, fostering a sense of belonging and presence is more obtainable. During the pandemic, VLK Architects continued to facilitate dialogue with clients to discover The pandemic forced a change of learning how to best create purposeful, comfortable, environment for some time. Students’ presence flexible spaces for both the academic and in class may have changed too. It may have social needs of teaching and learning. Our been difficult to truly engage in the learning design solutions have resulted in students process when offered the option of not turning on reporting they are proud to be present and prepared for learning. cameras so that both the physical and cognitive

presence could not be observed or monitored.

This environment may have made some uncomfortable, and others may have thrived.

Teachers share stories about the “black screens of Zoom” where students make the deliberate decision not to be present by actively removing themselves from the learning environment.

School leaders know that now, more than ever, student presence impacts learning outcomes. Learning environments must foster a feeling of safety, be immediately flexible, and allow for adaptations to a student’s learning preference all while being comfortable and inviting. The purposeful learning environments that we design with the users in mind change the way students interact and engage with their own learning. Using our planning and design approaches, students can be fully present. Our spaces are designed to help teachers facilitate students finding their voice and talents through their own personalities, creating the ideal environment for students to be physically, socially, and cognitively present.

Sherman High School, Sherman ISD

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PRESENCE at the Polls

Scott Milder, Principal K-12 Market Leader

B

eing present at the polls matters. The idealistic notion that a legislator is elected to represent every person residing in his or her district does not hold up against reality. Despite intentions, elected officials inevitably work for those who vote. The squeaky wheel not only gets the grease, but it also gets the legislator’s attention.

The same is true at every level of government, from city councils, school boards, and county commissioners to the statewide offices of governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and the rest.

Elected officials govern and legislate favorably for those who vote, sometimes at the expense of those who do not.

Such was the case at the end of the 85th legislative session in 2017 when Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick declared, “public school finance is now dead.” The lieutenant governor killed school finance legislation as retribution for the Texas House refusing to support his voucher bill. He was not concerned about blowback at the polls because educators don’t normally turn out to vote in large numbers, many Texans do not pay attention to legislative action, and his base would continue to support him regardless of his actions.

Interestingly, he miscalculated. In the next election season of 2018, educators rallied in response to the

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lieutenant governor’s declaration and refusal to fund Texas public schools. Formidable challengers supported by motivated educators emerged in the primary and general elections, which prompted the lieutenant governor to make a $10,000 teacher pay raise his top platform message in a desperate attempt to buy their votes. He survived his bid for re-election by just five percentage points, a remarkably close margin considering his overwhelming advantage of the incumbency, name recognition, and a $20 million campaign war chest.

Although the surge in educator presence at the polls that year did not unseat the lieutenant governor, it did result in his loss of the Texas Senate’s Republican supermajority status, reduced from 21-10 to 19-12. Educators helped defeat two senators, both strong allies of the lieutenant governor. As president of the Senate, the lieutenant governor could no longer govern without crossing the aisle to work with his Democratic senators.

This was a significant victory fought for and won by a large block of educators letting their voices be heard loud and clear at the polls.

Voting matters!

Then, in January 2019, immediately following an election season fueled by motivated educators, state leaders began singing a very different tune.

During the first days of the 86th Legislative Session, the governor, lieutenant governor, and Speaker of the Texas House held a joint press conference declaring that funding for public schools would be their top priority. The result? The legislature enthusiastically approved an unprecedented $11 billion funding bump for Texas schools. (NOTE: Legislators brag about injecting $11 billion, but it was really just $6 billion in new revenue for Texas public schools. The additional $5 billion was allocated to supplant and buy down local property tax rates.)

Why is consistent presence at the polls so important for Texas educators?

1. Significant funding for public education would not have been the legislature’s top priority in 2019 if not for educators making their voices heard on election day.

2. The lieutenant governor would not have made a $10,000 pay raise for teachers a campaign promise in his 2018 re-election campaign if he did not feel

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threatened by the prospects of educators voting him out of office. Teachers across Texas are now paid more!

3. Significant voter turnout inspires caution among elected officials when considering politically motivated legislative proposals. They are more likely to consider the possible Election Day repercussions of their actions.

4. The unfortunate reality of politics is that elected officials do not represent all constituents. They represent constituents who vote. Governors, lieutenant governors, senators, and representatives fear angry voters and therefore legislate favorably for those who vote.

5. A handful of Texas billionaires are generously funding candidates who will aggressively advance their agenda to privatize public education by continuing to promote legislation that undermines our public schools.

6. The education lobby does not have much money to buy influence, but no amount of money can buy

CONTINUES THE PLAN TO ADDRESS EVERY STUDENT AND TEACHER!

PARA CONTINUAR EL PLAN DE APOYAR A NUESTROS ESTUDIANTES Y MAESTROS!

BUILT BY THE COMMUNITY, FOR THE COMMUNITY!

ELABORADO POR LA COMUNIDAD PARA LA COMUNIDAD!

CONTINUE TO IMPROVE AIR QUALITY FOR ALL STUDENTS AND TEACHERS!

PARA MEJORAR LA CALIDAD DEL MEDIO AMBIENTE EN LOS SALONES E INSTALAR SISTEMAS DE AIRE REFRIGERADO PARA NUESTROS ESTUDIANTES Y MAESTROS!

KEEP OUR KIDS AND TEACHERS SAFE!

PARA MANTENER SEGUROS A NUESTROS NIÑOS Y MAESTROS!

ALL PREVIOUS BOND PROJECTS WERE COMPLETED ON TIME AND UNDER BUDGET!

TODOS LOS PROYECTOS DEL BONO ANTERIOR SE COMPLETARON A TIEMPO Y BAJO PRESUPUESTO!

TRUST THE DISTRICT WITH A PROVEN TRACK RECORD OF FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY!

EL DISTRITO DE YSLETA HA DEMOSTRADO RESPONSABILIDAD FISCAL!

CONTINUE THE ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE THAT PUTS OUR DISTRICT AT THE TOP!

PARA CONTINUAR LA EXCELENCIA ACADÉMICA, LA CUAL ES EL ORGULLO DEL DISTRITO DE YSLETA!

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the kind of influence that 800,000-plus votes can buy on Election Day. That’s how many people work in Texas public schools!

7. What happens in the Texas Legislature directly affects the professional lives of every single educator.

Legislators make the rules that either promote or inhibit teaching and learning.

8. What happens in the Texas Legislature directly affects the personal lives of every single educator!

Legislators decide whether or not to fund the Teacher Retirement System of Texas, cost of living increases for retired educators, and whether or not to allocate new money for local ISDs to offer salary and benefit increases.

9. Legislators have imposed high stakes standardized testing on millions of students and educators over the last several decades. Those opposed to oppressive state testing would have more influence if they would vote together in large numbers.

10. Many elections are decided by just a handful of votes. Every single vote matters.

Voting apathy plagues many groups of Texans, including educators. Some vote some of the time but many rarely vote at all. Voting is confusing. Politics are ugly. Those who are drawn to the profession of education are servant hearts and tend to avoid the conflict-rich environment of elections and politics.

It doesn’t help that educators have long been discouraged from getting involved in politics for fear of violating the law.

Are there rules of engagement for educators? You bet, but they are simple. The law prohibits school employees from using school resources to support or

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oppose candidates or measures like bond elections.

That’s it. There is no law prohibiting educators from using school resources to inform colleagues and others about upcoming elections. It is perfectly legal, for example, to send emails from classroom computers that are informative in nature, like reminding colleagues to go vote. Also, there is no law prohibiting educators from supporting or opposing candidates or measures on their own time and with personal resources.

This 2021 legislative season has not been kind to public education. Bills were proposed that would have funded vouchers schemes, confiscated local ISD fund balances, tied funding to STAAR scores, and prohibited educators from lobbying on behalf of their taxpayers and students.

Most of this counterproductive and counterintuitive legislation failed to pass, thanks in large part to the efforts of a few spirited advocacy organizations like Pastors for Texas Children, Texans for Public Education, Texans Advocating for Meaningful Student Assessment, The Coalition for Public Schools, Friends of Texas Public Schools, and Raise Your Hand Texas.

How educators vote is largely irrelevant. The power of the vote is not in who or what a voter supports or opposes, but rather in the fact that they can be counted present at the polls with their colleagues in large numbers. Blocks of voters turn heads. Being present at the polls matters greatly.

BOND ELECTIONS: Presence at the Polls Prevents Poor Performance on Election Day Presence at the polls among educators absolutely matters in bond elections. School districts are always among the top employers in every community. That means educators can determine the outcome of most local elections when they vote in large numbers.

Unfortunately, motivating educators and parents in the community to go vote is an ever-present challenge for school leaders. VLK Architects recognized their clients’ struggles. The firm’s planning professionals went to work developing a multi-faceted strategy to boost presence at the polls among educators and others who support their local schools.

“Architects are problem solvers,” said VLK Architects CEO | Partner Sloan Harris. “We discovered decades ago that many of our clients were struggling to increase voter turnout and we wanted to find a solution.

We put our heads together, reached out to a variety of elections professionals, and created a service that has now been instrumental in successful bond elections all over Texas.”

Since launching this service more than 20 years ago, VLK Architects has continually refined its strategy and broadened the scope of work involved to include long-range planning, bond planning, and election campaign consulting under its trademarked, proprietary processes called VLK | LINK®.

VLK | LINK® facilitates the vision of a district and fully addresses all needs, culminating in a bond program. It aligns the community’s expectations with the district’s actions, and comprehensively captures educational needs, physical condition needs, capacity needs, leadership goals, and curriculum plans, resulting in a true long-range plan for facilities that is future ready.

Keller ISD Bond Materials

Through VLK | LINK®, school districts benefit from community-driven bond capital planning, consensus-building, and thorough campaign management. These campaign services include strategy development, voter history analysis, voter opinion survey, and tactical support in the design of campaign collateral and messaging.

“We’ve figured out the formula for winning,” Harris said. “We are incredibly proud to say that our clients win when they follow our formula.

VLK LINK® works.”

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Strickland Middle School, Denton ISD

PRESENCE in Design

The physical space in the following projects highlights learning environments designed to support presence.

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Sherman High School

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Gerald D. Young Agricultural Sciences Center

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Bobby Summers Middle School

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Bill R. Johnson CTE Center

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Cottonwood Creek, Nadine Johnson, and Veterans' Hill Elementary Schools

Sherman ISD

Katy ISD

Royse City ISD

Crowley ISD

Hutto ISD

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SHERMAN High School SHERMAN ISD The new Sherman High School is a comprehensive replacement high school representing a new educational model for this one-high school community modernizing the existing campus. Located on a prominent hillside southwest of town, its location was selected to highlight the town’s pride and importance placed on education within the community. The design supports the district’s pedagogy of intentional collaboration both indoors and outdoors with space for academic and social growth.

High school needs and workforce data informed the academic program. A branded environment instills identity and pride in the three stories of academic wings, compacting the plan, easing movement, and creating light-filled areas throughout the campus. Several degrees of transparency aid various teaching styles and security while also providing for collaboration areas for students.

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"VLK Architects delivered a first-class, state-of-theart high school in Sherman ISD. Their intentional design reflects our priorities of learning through collaboration, honoring community history and school traditions, expanding our academics, arts, athletics, and technical programs, and creating classroom spaces where learning and achievements are of primary importance and highly visible to everyone who comes to the school."

Dr. David Hicks, Superintendent of Sherman ISD

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GERALD D. YOUNG Agricultural Sciences Center KATY ISD Increasing expectations for student preferences, graduation requirements, and growth in Katy ISD allowed the district to build on important historical aspects of the agriculture industry that has existed in the community for decades. This modernized structure incorporates ag instruction, rodeo, and provides a venue for traditions occurring in the community.

It includes a purposefully designed show arena, pavilion, project center, pond, and rodeo arena, each allowing for meaningful instruction and community access. All spaces support student interests as aligned with HB 5 for the Business & Industry endorsement, and supports the Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources Career Cluster including horticulture, aquaculture, and livestock production.

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“The student opportunities that are provided at the Gerald D. Young Agricultural Sciences Center were well-planned and designed

by VLK Architects. They listened to the community needs that resulted in a variety of spaces that allow students the most appropriate areas for livestock and learning while also providing for a community tradition of rodeoing. Now, all students (K-12) across the district can experience hands-on learning in ag science curricula.”

Lisa Kassman, Executive Director Facilities, Planning, and Construction, Katy ISD Scan me!

LEARN ABOUT GERALD D. YOUNG AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES CENTER

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BOBBY SUMMERS Middle School ROYSE CITY ISD "Through true stakeholder collaboration within Royse City ISD, VLK delivered a beautiful campus that sets the tone for what instructional spaces will look like in our district. Bobby Summers Middle School is a student-centered space that promotes collaboration. From the courtyard, to the learning stairs, students are clearly comfortable and take ownership in their space. This campus is a true showcase for our district and for the community."

Kevin Worthy, Superintendent of Royse City ISD

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Academic and social needs of the adolescent yielded the concept for Bobby Summers Middle School, built in an existing community yearning for a school. District vision allowed for meaningful dialogue first about education prior to design. Inspiration came from visiting relevant examples to discern the best menagerie of learning environments. Middle schoolers experience the social and emotional support they require daily while character builds with strong academics in each grade level neighborhood.

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BILL R. JOHNSON CTE Center CROWLEY ISD Real world leaders’ experiences (medical, automotive, entrepreneurship, etc.) influenced the design of the Bill R. Johnson Career and Technical Center to deliberately combine early college and career preparation programs in one facility. Designed with students and community for the community, it intentionally does not resemble any typical school.

The design allows for students to experience college and/or the work environment with an intentional “research facility” look and feel. The digital bar code skin language was used to highlight from far way the technologically driven character of this facility, inspiring curiosity. Connectivity between programs showcases achievements and pride while providing space for collaboration, crucial for these programs, both indoors and outdoors, with appropriate technology and furniture. Value is placed on the creation of the intended return of service for the community. Many graduating students remain in the area, and will have the skills to provide for themselves while providing services to benefit others.

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"You can walk into an automotive classroom and see students and teachers work side by side on a car, and you know that something is being instilled in that student that will last long beyond that class period. That is the beauty of this, the facility is beautiful, but its what’s happening inside here that’s really the true beauty."

Annette Duvall, Director Of College, Career, Military Readiness, Crowley ISD

Scan me!

LEARN ABOUT BILL R. JOHNSON CTE CENTER

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Cottonwood Elementary School, Hutto ISD

Nadine Johnson Elementary School, Hutto ISD

Nadine Johnson Elementary School, Hutto 24 ISD VLK Architects, Inc.

COTTONWOOD CREEK, NADINE JOHNSON, and VETERANS' HILL Elementary Schools HUTTO ISD With the construction of new campuses, Hutto ISD recognized the need to update its existing elementary schools to provide nextgeneration learning and collaborative environments for its students and teachers. The modernizations and improvement include renovations to three campus libraries, enlarging the center of each school with open environments that breath new life into them.

"It is refreshing to walk into our newly renovated elementary schools and to be greeted with this amazing, open, inviting, beautiful space that screams, 'Learning is fun!' The libraries pull you in immediately. Books are no longer obscure or inaccessible, no longer behind walls, reading has no sound restrictions making our libraries come alive and at the epicenter of school life. Thank you for the transformation, VLK Architects!"

Celina Estrada Thomas, Ph.D., Hutto ISD Superintendent

Veterans' Hill Elementary School, Hutto ISD

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VLK | LINK® Although COVID-19 has had a tremendous impact on our educational system, it has not stopped your building systems (from roofing to HVAC) from aging.

Your technology needs have increased, and growth has continued across our state. In the month of June, total monthly home sales rebounded and surpassed 2019 levels in Austin (+9.3%), DFW (+16%), Houston (+15.7%), and San Antonio (+14%).1 While districts have understandably paused long range facility and bond planning activities, once these activities resume, districts will face needs greater than their previous estimations. The risk of waiting only increases the amount your community may have to invest. Now is the time to ensure that planning is not overlooked or interrupted so that you can maintain the best environments for learning.

Scan me!

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LEARN ABOUT VLK | LINK®

PLAN NOW Planning creates the datum from which school districts can respond to evolution and challenges both internal and external to their district. Changing instructional methodologies including technology, growth and aging systems, health and economic factors all impact the need to plan. This preparedness creates a transparent outline for all stakeholders indicating the current status of a district, and establishes a path for moving forward. Planning allows a district and community to anticipate response for additional enrollment, as well as needed updated facilities. Importantly, a plan must be written in order to be achieved. What does your latest demographic study anticipate? All districts need an updated plan regardless of size and location. The time is now.

Planning ensures that you have a road map, with priority stops along your journey. How do you know what to address first? A solid plan will reveal the path, and ease the dilemma of constant response to aging facilities as well as illuminate academic needs. Which facilities need to be repurposed? Have you outgrown facilities that need to be addressed with additional programs?

Planning includes many facets: master planning, long-range planning, facility assessments, educational

adequacy assessments, facility condition assessments, and prioritization of needs associated with costs. At times, this type of planning yields boundary needs, grade configuration changes, and specialized learning spaces to address specific programs, such as Career and Technology Education, Fine Arts, and STEM, to name a few. Plan now, or plan to update your plan to ensure your school district and community have the facilities they need and deserve.

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VLK Mission We guide clients through process, collaboration, and imagination to realize exceptional environments to work, live, learn, and play.

VLK Values BUILD STRONG RELATIONSHIPS Build strong relationships with clients, consultants, contractors and co-workers that produce trust, mutual respect, common devotion, and collaboration.

EXHIBIT INTEGRITY WITHOUT COMPROMISE Integrity is the adherence to moral and ethical principles. Always do the right thing.

FOCUS ON THE CLIENT AND ALL ELSE FOLLOWS Focus on the client by listening, responding quickly, providing the capacity to explore solutions, and ensuring satisfaction.

A satisfied client results in long-term relationships and future opportunities.

INNOVATE AND IMPROVE Being good isn’t good enough. Challenge yourself to improve professionally, technically, and as leaders – both in the office and in the community. Develop an attitude of learning, constantly seeking advanced knowledge and improvement.

EMBRACE THE DIVERSITY OF OTHERS Every person in our firm and in our industry brings a unique perspective to each task that we undertake. It requires a combination of all of our different talents to achieve greatness.

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DEAL TRUTHFULLY AND EQUITABLY WITH EVERYONE Our firm is built on trust. Our clients trust that we will provide a service to them that will uniquely satisfy their community’s needs. This trust is gained over a period of time by building a reputation of being truthful and equitable.

CREATE PROFITABILITY THROUGH CLIENT SATISFACTION A satisfied client will return and will recommend us to others.

IMAGINE A BETTER SOLUTION In this ever-changing world, there are continually different and better ways to do things. Always imagine how to do things more effectively.

PROMOTE COLLABORATION AND INDIVIDUALITY Solid solutions are formed when individual voices are heard and valued to create something larger than ourselves.

BE PASSIONATE ABOUT EVERY PROJECT For every task that you take on, make it your own and do it to the best of your ability.

PRESENCE within VLK

Every day our employees exhibit presence in the work they do in our offices, at client meetings, or on the jobsite.

From Emerging Professionals to Accounting and Marketing, every individual contributed to the projects within these pages and the hundreds of others we produce each year.

They demonstrate and uphold our company mission statement and values, and without them, we could not provide the level of service we have come to be known for.

Mikhail Abad Jennifer Aguirre Gopinath Akalkotkar Uma Akalkotkar Natalie Akins Jonathan Aldis James Amos Michael Antenora Nasario Arreguin Anne Arts Jamie Barnes Taylor Bartley Lonnie Bennett Gabriella Bermea Keith Blair Jason Blanks Dalane Bouillion Rayce Boyter Heather Breen Kathryn Brown Lauren Brown Ray Brown Bryan Brummett Jeremy Caballero James Cardona Monika Castillo David Caudillo Whys Childs Eli Cohn Deann Cole Lloyd Condon David Craig Kaitlin Cunningham Chad Davis Cayce Dockstader Cassie Doss Julie Dungey Josseph Duran Joshua Durkes Rachel Epperson Clarissa Epps Brad Ewing Melissa Fleming Jazel Fontanilla Cassady Fredriksen Michelle Gallup Abigail Garcia Sarah Gardner Scott Garland

James Garza Michael Geist Sydne Goldstein Ana Gonzalez Alex Green Linsy Grozdanich Bill Hallgren Todd Hanger Faith Ann Hardcastle Sloan Harris Brian Heil Justin Hiles Lee Hill Susan Hoffman Robin Howard Richard Hunt Ken Hutchens Richard Jaynes Bob Johnson Charles Johnson Cody Jones Matthew Kellogg Brandon Kendall Chris Kepner Golnaz Keshavarzi Tracy Kimbal Colette King John Klein Sara Koprowski Valeriya Kotova Jonathon Kruse Timothy Kunz Tosin Kusa Chris Laack Kent Leach Julio Leal Barry Lemons Morgan Leos Todd Lien Guannan Liu Tracy Loftin Ken Loose Brian Lopez Frank Lopez Chris Lyner Mike Mabry Natalie Madden Rachel Magallanes Brennan Masters

Nick Matthews Cuc Mauldin Ryan McAllister Bryce McCarthy Sydney McMaken Alex Menard Scott Milder Lendsey Miller Brad Minton Angela Mitchell Daylee Mitchell Christopher Morris Chris Murdock Alex Nelson Ashley Newbury Mark Nicholson John Novak Barrett Nungesser Mark Ojeda Vianna Olivas Chris Ortiz Jander Ortiz Diana Pachulska Brian Paletz Hannaphen Park Jignesh Patel Haley Pearce Jaime Pelayo Talia Perez Sherry Pitts Charles Porter Lynn Rabatsky Hugo Ramirez Jennifer Reinert Gordon Reynolds Jacob Rhodes Eliana Riojas Ross Rivers Shelby Roach Amy Routh Mike Sadler Trace Saenz Brian Sahrmann Laura Sanchez Nicandro Sanchez Eric Sandman Ashad Satchu Cindy Schallawitz Clinton Schiver

Niki Schoessow James Sharp Jeremy Sharp Ted Smith Liliana Solache Cameron Spencer Liz Spiewak Zack Sprinkle Rudy Starks Henry Stearns Don Steer Jim Stephenson Aaliyah Stevens Tommy Stewart Michael Stribling JoAnna Sweetser James Tadlock Marissa Tang David Taylor Ashley Tessem Katherine Thomas Kayse Thomas Krista Thomas Whitney Thomas Nanditha Thragarajan Myriam Tinoco Whitney Tong Erjon Troqe Destry Ure Sue Valdez Leesa Vardeman Gloria Villalobos-Hernandez Michael Voit Jim Wallace William Webb Casey West Josie West Tyler Whitsell Joyce Williams Gregory Willock Josh Wilson Madison Wilson Jennifer Workman Quince Workman Helen Yan Duygu Yenerim

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Strickland Middle School, 30 ISD VLK Architects, Inc. Denton

Moving FORWARD

T

his will be the last time you hear me formally address it. If I have grown weary, there is no doubt you all have exponentially. The immense amount of challenges our educators have faced is truly unprecedented (also the last time you’ll hear that word from me). You’ve been forced to educate and care for our children in unobliging environments. Leaders have also been forced to make impossible decisions about issues that have nothing to do with education. Your leadership was on display with all of this happening in a fish bowl where you lack control over so many things impacting your life and your job.

The clarity I have from it, in the spirit of the theme of this Experience volume, is that we must be present to live, grow, and flourish. Children must be present in the physical learning environment to hear, see, touch, and smell, to interact with their peers, and to hear all of the background noise that surrounds us in the world when we don’t necessarily realize it – but we benefit from it. They need these interactions with each other, and their teachers, to develop into well-rounded adults. Social interaction is essential to every aspect of their health. A strong network of support and community fosters both emotional and physical health.

It is no different in adulthood. At VLK, we embrace a culture of diversity, innovation, and creativity. These things will not flourish in a virtual environment.

The opposite is true – they will ultimately die without physical interaction. Our firm is one of critical problem solving in a team capacity, and one of personal service to our clients. We must be present. Can we benefit from supplementing daily management with technology? Of course. But, it is no substitute. It is simply one extra tool we can now use when the first option (physical presence) is not available. In fact, one of the main contributors to the radical landscape cited above is the exorbitance of technology: social and mainstream media, untethered, on every device we own, never off, hardly grounded, never out of sight, and always in our ear. In a sense, we are letting the fox watch the hen house. Think of the driver that blindly follows his GPS through a snowstorm, eventually past the end of the road, and off a cliff. Technology is not a substitute for using our minds.

So that is it. Let us move forward. At VLK, we cherish working together, and with our clients.

The values we hold dear demand we collaborate to create, to develop, to execute our projects, and to serve our clients. We thank you so much for all you have done to get us to this point, and we are dedicated to be by your side to continue to get us past all of this for the betterment of our future.

Sloan Harris, Chief Executive Officer | Partner

EXPERIENCE | Vol. 8

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32 VLK Architects, Inc.