Are you proud of how your newly constructed or remodeled building was designed to support active learning? Is it flexible enough for different sized learning groups of various ages to do a variety of activities? Does your new space include the infrastructure needed for effective use of education technology? Is the space set up to facilitate after-school use and community access?

If your school building incorporates ideas that are worthy of notice, then you should enter the New England Regional BUILDSMART School Design Contest. The Grand Prize is $5,000! All schools receiving First Place or Honorable Mention awards will have their buildings featured on a widely distributed CD, on the web, as well as in news releases and other media. Judging will be done by a panel of educators, architects, and facility planners. Awards will be distributed at the annual Northeast Regional Conference of the Council of Educational Facilities Planners International (CEFPI) in Newport, Rhode Island on April 26, 2002.

The BuildSmart School Design Contest is unique in its focus on the impact of building design on student learning and its spotlight on the role of the education decision-makers who were ultimately responsible for selecting and approving the design. It is an opportunity for education leaders to have their vision and dedication recognized and validated. Entries must be received by 5 PM, March 15, 2002.

Exterior of Agassiz K-8 School in Cambridge. Designed by HMFH Architects and built in 1995. (Photograph by Wayne Soverns Jr.)

School districts, educational collaboratives, and charter, private and parochial schools that serve students in grades pre-K through 12 are invited to submit one BuildSmart School Design Contest application for each school they want to enter. School construction must be complete before application is submitted. Districts are encouraged to collaborate with firms involved in designing or building the candidate school - who might be willing to cover the $125 application fee. All decisions of the contest judge(s) with respect to eligibility of any entry or any other aspect of this contest are final and are not subject to appeal.

The BuildSmart School Design Contest is organized by Mass Networks, which has been working with school districts since 1996 to improve educational leadership, support standards-based curriculum, and encourage appropriate use of technology by all learners. Mass Networks has run two successful BuildSmart Conferences on school building design, attended by educational leaders, municipal officials, architects, network designers and contractors. The 1999 Conference focused on the "pre-planning process." The 2000 Conference highlighted the intricacies of successful school-municipal coordination through the design approval and construction process and helped local leaders understand

Music room in the new Healey K-8 School in Somerville. Designed by HMFH Architects and built in 1999. (Photgraph by Anton Grassi.)

legal and Department of Education requirements. Watch this newsletter for future BuildSmart activities and conferences as well as for updates on the Design Contest.

For more information about the BuildSmart School Design Contest, including the official judging criteria and application forms, please go to http://www.massnetworks.org/buildsmart or contact David Mordecai at 617-783-9988 or dmordecai@massnetworks.org