Page 73 - LearningSCAPES 2021

SESSIONABSTRACTS continued...
involving three separate facilities for $178,500,000, which represents the largest successful school bond project in the State of Minnesota history (calculated on a per-student basis). -passing a consolidation question in both districts to merge the Virginia and Eveleth-Gilbert school districts on July 1, 2020 now called the Rock Ridge School District.
Learning Objectives:
• Learn about the opportunities and challenges that face rural school districts around consolidation, and the steps taken to succeed.
• Learn about alternative funding methods and their inherent constraints and opportunities.
• Learn about the structure and methodology of the community engagement process, including a robust engagement with
students in both the pre-referendum and design phases.
• Learn how the Superintendents vision for 21st Century Learning inspired the students, and how the students inspired the
community to gain support for this vision.
John Pfluger, AIA, NCARB, LEED® AP, Principal, Cuningham
John is a Principal at Cuningham and has served as a Design Principal in the firm’s education studio. Central to John’s design approach is his personal commitment and passion to achieve highly creative, sustainable design results that enhance our clients’ goals through a highly inclusive and co-creative process. He is often called upon to serve a Design Resource for Reimagine America’s Schools, a consortium of national leaders innovating in the design and education space.
Dr. Noel Schmidt, Superintendent, Rock Ridge Public Schools
Dr. Schmidt is the superintendent of the newly consolidated Ridge School District. In the school setting he has worked as an English teacher, coach, Dean, Assistant Principal, Principal, and Superintendent. He also taught adjunct classes through the University of Minnesota and was President of the Minnesota Middle School Association. Over his career, he has observed and participated in many school reform efforts, most of which failed spectacularly. However, the latest one, the merger of the Eveleth-Gilbert and Virginia school district and the communities decision to cooperatively build a new high school and two elementary schools, has been a spectacular success.
Hailey Wrasman, NCIDQ, IIDA, WELL AP, Cuningham
Hailey’s an interior designer in Cuningham’s education studio. Her attention to detail and passion for design inspires her to create innovative learning environments. She’s involved in every level of the design process, from concept through completion, providing clients exceptional service. Hailey is one of Cuningham’s four WELL-accredited professionals, providing expertise on developing insightful designs that benefit occupant health and well-being. She’s the designer for the new Sartell High School and the Eveleth-Gilbert Virginia Secondary School.
Saturday, October 16, 2021 - 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm
The Learning Ecosystem of 2070
1 LU
“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read or write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” Alvin Toffler, Future Shock, 1970 As we look 50 years into the future, this quote from 50 years past is insightful. It perhaps portents a great “unlearning” of how we do school that jettisons all current real or perceived roadblocks such as: inequities around funding and race and opportunity, mandates, testing regimes, etc. And it requires us, without restrictions, to answer several fundamental questions.