2010 TASA/TASB Convention

El Paso Community College Culinary Arts Facility (Parkhill Smith & Cooper)

The jury for the 2010 Exhibit of School Architecture sponsored by the Texas Association of School Administrators and the Texas Association of School Boards (TASA/TASB) recently recognized  five projects for overall design excellence out of  99 projects submitted for the competition. The jury evaluated all the entries in six categories (value, process of planning, design, educational appropriateness, innovation, and sustainability), with each of the top five winners receiving the highest marks in all six areas. The five winners are Turlington Elementary School for Waller ISD (SHW Group), Dubinski Career High School in Grand Prairie (Corgan Associates), Giddings High School/Middle School (SHW Group), Ennis Junior High School (SHW Group), and El Paso Community College Culinary Arts Facility (Parkhill Smith & Cooper). Read about these projects in the Jan/Feb 2011 issue of Texas Architect magazine.

Below, Erin Smutz and Andrea Harrington from VLK Architects discuss their experience at the 2010 TASA/TASB Convention from a marketing perspective.

2010 TASA/TASB Convention

Every year, like clockwork, we run around in circles to hunt down the perfect photo, fix floor plans, design PowerPoint presentations, write mounds of project text, and rush to make everything perfect just in time to submit projects by VLK Architects for the TASA/TASB Convention. 

For many, TASA/TASB might be second nature to them. However, if you don’t participate each year, here’s some insight and tidbits to explain the event we know as TASA/TASB.

What is TASA/TASB?
TASA/TASB is an acronym for the Texas Association of School Administrators and Texas Association of School Boards. In 1960, the two partnered to create a convention that brings both administrators and board members together.

Who attends?
Attendees range from school board members and superintendents to business managers and administrative staff. The TASA/TASB Convention allows them to earn Continuing Education credit and explore the tradeshow with a variety of exhibitors. One event included in the tradeshow is the Exhibit of School Architecture.

Exhibit of School Architecture
The exhibit provides an opportunity to showcase new educational construction and renovation projects in Texas that were completed within the past five years. The projects are judged by a six-member jury, which includes two school board members, two school administrators, and two representatives from the Texas Society of Architects.

As part of the tradeshow, exhibitors design boards to display the schools entered in the competition, as well as list the awards they’ve won. Booths of different shapes and sizes stand tall, one right next to the other, covered with company logos, photos, phrases, etc. All with the same mission: To get the attention of school board members and administrators.

TASA/TASB Convention 2010
At this year’s convention, held in Houston in August, administrators and school board members from across the state came together to network, learn, and reconnect. The convention center was packed with vendors exhibiting their services and products, while school personnel had opportunities to learn about topics ranging from employee surveys to social media and just about everything in between.

General Sessions featured Daniel Pink, author of A Whole New Mind; former NFL star Emmitt Smith; and gubernatorial candidate Bill White. Attendees also had distinguished lecturers, economist and author Todd Buchholz; educational correspondent John Merrow; and Commissioner of Education Robert Scott, to fill their days’ agendas.

Inside the exhibit hall, the Exhibit of School Architecture showcased projects from across the state. Each year, architects have the opportunities to submit school designs, which are judged on design, educational appropriateness, innovation, process of planning, value, and sustainability. This year, 99 projects were submitted. 

For a complete list of entries and awards, click here.

For more information about the TASA/TASB convention, click here.