The 2015 James D. MacConnell Award Registration Open

The James D. MacConnell Award recognizes an outstanding, comprehensive planning process, which results in educational facilities that serve the needs of students, staff, and the community, and facilitate student achievement. Emphasizing the connection between the planning process and the end-result, a healthy, high-performing school facility, the James D. MacConnell Award uniquely assesses how well a school facility supports the academic program of the school district. With on-site interviews of students, school staff, community stakeholders and the design team, the jury thoroughly evaluates the entire process of building a school.

MacConnell award entries will be displayed at the CEFPI Annual Conference & Exhibition in San Diego, CA, October 20-27, 2015. All finalists will be prominently recognized in a separate section of the exhibition, highlighted in an awards brochure distributed at the conference and to the general membership of CEFPI.

Registration for the 2015 MacConnell Award is now open! For complete submittal requirements and registration, visit www.cefpi.org or contact Janell Weihs at 480/391-0840.

Featured

  • New Jersey Day School Opens New Science & Entrepreneurship Building

    Saddle River Day School (SRDS) in Saddle River, N.J., recently celebrated the grand opening of the new Dr. Kristen Walsh Hall of Science & Entrepreneurship, according to a news release. The school partnered with DIG Architecture on the 32,000 square foot facility, completed on a 17-month construction timeline in time for the beginning of the new school year.

  • Minnesota District Completes Renovations to 3 Schools

    South Washington County Schools in Woodbury, Minn., recently completed major renovation projects to three of its schools, according to a news release. The district partnered with Kraus-Anderson for construction services, and the upgrades were part of a larger referendum that voters approved in fall 2024.

  • Amazon Expands Lockers to More Than 500 College, University Campuses

    Amazon recently announced that its Locker Network now totals more than 750 locations at more than 500 college and university campuses around the United States, according to a company news release.

  • Q&A: How to Prevent Kitchen Grease Fires in Commercial Kitchens

    School cafeterias and university dining halls serve thousands of meals daily, relying on high-heat equipment like fryers, grills, and ovens. While these operations keep students fed, they also generate significant grease-laden vapors. Without proper controls, this grease becomes a silent fire threat. As a certified exhaust cleaning specialist and business coach who has helped hundreds of institutional facilities achieve NFPA 96 compliance, I emphasize that proactive grease management isn’t optional; it’s a core fire/life safety practice.