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Past Events
Quarterly Coffee
February 21, 2024
7:45 AM – 9:15 AM Central Daylight
Platte County High School
1501 Branch Street
Platte City, MO 64079
Come join us for our first Quarterly Coffee of 2024, an exclusive gathering for education professionals
eager to explore innovative ways to renovate and rejuvenate high school spaces. Discover the
complexities and triumphs of our multi-phased schedule in renovating a high school from the ground up,
offering a blend of innovative design and educational excellence. Connect with peers, tour the revitalized
space, and share in the excitement of shaping future learning environment!
FREE to attend!
Event Sponsor: $250
Event Sponsor:
STEAM Social
November 14, 2023
4:00 PM – 7:00 PM Central Daylight
STEAM Studio
4200 Pennsylvania Ave,
Kansas City, MO 64111
Live music + networking + food / drink.
FREE to attend!
Event Sponsor: $250
Event Sponsor
Quarterly Coffee + Project Spotlight
September 13, 2023
7:30 AM – 9:30 AM Central
Liberty High School's EDGE Microschool
200 Blue Jay Drive,
Liberty, MO
Please join us for our next Quarterly Coffee hosted by Liberty High School's EDGE Microschool. We will
begin the morning with coffee and networking, listen to EDGE leadership and students speak about a
"Day in the Life" of a Microschool student, and take a guided walking tour of the amazing space!
Learning Objectives:
- Bring together like-minded educators and innovative education architects to discuss the future of
learning environments.
- Hear insights from leadership and students to attend the EDGE Microschool environment.
- Take a walking tour of the EDGE Microschool to see how it integrate with Liberty High School, and what
makes it unique.
- Educate our audience on how they could utilize a Microschool environment in their own school district.
Project Team:
Architect of Record: Hollis + Miller Architects
Please park in the parking lot at the north end of the EPiC Elementary (intersection of Conistor St and
Blue Jay Dr) and walk along Blue Jay Drive to the entrance of Liberty High School. Once inside please
head to "The View" which is just up the main stairs from the entrance and to the right.
FREE to ATTEND!
Site Tour
April 18, 2023
7:30 – 9:00 AM Central Daylight
Raymore-Peculiar Lead Center
210 W. Foxwood Drive, Raymore, MO 64083
Come join us! Guest speakers Anna Hennes, Program Leader at Kauffman Foundation, and Dr. Mike Slagle, Ray-Pec Superintendent, will
discuss the current landscape of Real World Learning, future considerations for program growth, and how the LEAD Center has impacted the Ray-Pec community. Our site tour will also include first hand testimonials from Ray-Pec students who utilize this space every day!
FREE to attend!
Event Sponsor: $250
Project Spotlight Tour & Panel Discussion
February 21, 2023
7:30 – 9:00 AM
Metropolitan Community College Advanced Technical Skills Institute
2944 Troost Avenue, Kansas City, MO
Start your morning off with a fresh cup of coffee and networking, followed by an insightful panel discussion around the current labor shortage in skilled trades careers, finished with a walking tour of the new MCC Advanced Technical Skills Institute!
Our Expert Panelists:
Jeffrey Ullmann
Chief Facilities Officer, MCC
LaTasha McCall
Owner / President, LM2 Construction & Consulting
Pat Contreras
VP of Business Development, McCown Gordon
Members: FREE | Non-Member: $20
Holiday Event
Tuesday, November 29, 2022
4:00 – 6:00 PM
St. Teresa's Academy
5600 Main St.,
Kansas City, MO 64113
Merry Makerspace! Come celebrate another successful year with the Kansas City Chapter! Light appetizers and beverages will be provided as we thank our sponsors, learn about recent grant winners and share more ways to get involved in 2023. Registration is free – hope to see you there!
Join A4LE at IDEA SPACE KC!
Thursday, September 29, 2022
7:30 – 9:00 AM
Barstow Dan & Cassidy Towriss IDEA Space KC
12200 State Line Road
Leawood, KS 66209
www.ideaspacekc.org
The Power of an IDEA. The Power of Community. The Power of Place.
Join A4LE KC as we tour and hear about the evolution of a former Hyvee into Kansas City's center for Innovation, Discovery, Entrepreneurship and Arts. A 32,000 sq. ft. center for STEAM education, IDEA Space broadens and diversifies pipelines into four key workforce development areas: skilled trades, engineering, advanced manufacturing and computer science. Designed to serve thousands of students from diverse neighborhoods and varying socioeconomic backgrounds year-round hands-on educational experiences. Owned and operated by The Barstow School, IDEA Space KC is focused on partnerships, including with both local public schools and organizations throughout the region. The morning will provide meaningful networking and programming opportunities and we hope you can join us!
| 7:30 am |
Coffee & Networking |
| 8:00 am |
Program
- Kellye Crockett, The Barstow School
Vice President, Innovation and Dan & Cassidy Towriss IDEA Space KC
- Jeffrey Schutzler, pluribus architecture collaborative llc
Founding Principal
- Plus special student and community partners!
|
| 8:40 am |
Tours |
Free to attend, please RSVP
Quarterly Breakfast
May 4, 2022
7:30 AM – 9:00 AM Central
Junior Achievement Youth Learning Lab
2842 W. 47th Ave
Kansas, KS 66103
Join us for our Quarterly Breakfast at the
Junior Achievement Youth Learning Lab presented by the Mallouk Family Foundation, located at 2842 W. 47th Ave, Kansas City, KS 66103 for breakfast!
FREE to ATTEND! Must register by May 3.
Quarterly Conversation #4
Thursday, December 2, 2021
4:00 PM
Walden Middle School
4701 NW 56th St.
Kansas City, MO 64151
Take a Look Inside Park Hill School District’s New Walden Middle School
 |
Park Hill’s new Walden Middle School is the result of master planning and community collaboration efforts leading to adoption of a new sixth grade model bringing sixth, seventh and eighth graders together in the district’s fourth middle school. The new 114,500 square-foot community-centric building can serve up to 750 students in open, flexible learning spaces while connecting students to nature. Transparent connectivity creates a safe, comfortable environment for students of each grade, with an emphasis on flexible and adaptable multi-use spaces. The site was strategically selected to offer students direct connections to nature, with a large outdoor courtyard, stream and direct views of the lush foliage surrounding the building. This connectivity, along with strategically designed collaborative spaces, supports the district’s approach to engaging and innovative learning experiences at the middle school level. Achieving LEED v4 certification, the first middle school in the state to do so, the new building demonstrates how design played a critical role in extending the building’s life cycle and reducing the carbon footprint. The entire campus is a reflection of the district’s prioritization of sustainable features, building occupant comfort, student success and staff wellbeing.
Join us at 4 p.m. Thursday, December 2 at the new Walden Middle School to tour the space and hear from both building administrators and designers who came together to create this flexible space for secondary learning.
Free to attend, please RSVP
Oktoberfest Social Event
Wednesday, September 29, 2021
4:00 – 7:00 pm
Arterra
2100 Wyandotte St., 12th Floor
Kansas City, MO 64108
At this networking event, we will be gathering to connect with each other and provide a brief presentation regarding details for the Midwest Great Lakes Regional Conference, along with a special shout out to some of our sponsors who have stuck by us through the recent difficult times. We’ll be welcoming October properly, so don’t miss this event as we celebrate the changing of the seasons with pretzels, sausages and German drinks for our own version of Oktoberfest!
Please RSVP by September 28 for an accurate headcount.
Quarterly Conversation #2
FREE EVENT
Wednesday, June 30, 2021
7:30 AM to 9:00 AM
North Kansas City Early Education Center
6479 N. Prospect
Gladstone, MO
Adaptive Reuse – Recycling the Big-Box into a Reimagined Learning Environment
The new North Kansas City Schools Early Education Center fosters inclusion and equity, creates opportunities for sensory learning and active play, and gives flexibility for short-term and long-term needs. Once an empty big box store is now a vibrant learning environment that embraces biophilic design, evokes the wonder and playfulness of childhood, and supports the diverse educational, social, and emotional needs of learners and educators alike.
Quick Facts:
- Repurposed former Price Chopper and Hobby Lobby, totaling 112,000 sf.
- 41 total classrooms, full service kitchen, 3 playground spaces
- Total student capacity is approximately 1,000
- Project has allowed for the district to centralize many of their early childhood programs
- Early Childhood special education
- Center-based classrooms
- Tuition-paid classrooms
- Teen child care
- Parents as Teachers
Virtual Meeting
March 2, 2021
11:30 am to 12:30 pm
How 2020 Challenges Bring Excellence and Evolution in Learning
How has this year of uncertainty and great challenge brought excellence and evolution in teaching and learning? Join us for a conversation on unique stories that have been learned and be prepared to share your own experience.
Gift card drawing at the end of the session!
Link will be sent on March 1 in the afternoon
Quarterly Conversation #1
FREE EVENT
Wednesday, February 19, 2020
4:30 PM to 7:00 PM
McCown and Gordon Construction
850 Main Street,
Kansas City, Missouri 64105
Phone: 816.960.1111
Kansas City Chapter Learning Environments Social Event
2020 – KC Chapter 5 Year Anniversary!
The KC Chapter A4LE Board wants to thank our members and vendors for supporting us over the last five years.
Join us Wednesday evening, February 19th, at 4:30 pm for a networking opportunity and a kick-off introduction of the 2020 Midwest Great Lakes (MWGL) Regional Conference.
We will convene at the third-floor event space of McCown Gordon Construction for a happy hour and to promote the conference as well as to celebrate 5 years of transforming learning environments across our region.
The Kansas City Chapter is now the largest chapter in the MWGL Region! We continue to add new members due to our focus on learning, the environment and how we as influencers of the built environment can promote change within the education industry. In April of 2020, Kansas City will once again be the focus and center of attention, as members from as far away as Canada and Ohio come to hear how learning, instruction, and the environment continue to evolve to real-world authentic learning opportunities for students.
“Instruction before Construction”
Join us for this networking session and learn more about our Keynote Speaker Tom Vander Ark, CEO of Getting Smart. At the conference, he will help guide us in 3 design sprints focused on exploring real-world learning and design learning experiences and environments for the future. In addition to learning more about the conference, come learn how you can help us continue to provide value to our members and create more opportunities for in-depth discussions on the future of learning within our region.
Help us kick-start 2020 by showing up at our first quarterly conversation; February 19th.
We look forward to seeing you and celebrating 5 years of improving learning for educators and students across our region.
Together We Can Make a Difference!
Your KC Chapter Board
Free event, please RSVP.
Quarterly Conversation #4
FREE EVENT
Tuesday, November 19, 2019
7:30 AM – 9:00 AM
24001 W 97th Terrace
Lenexa, KS 66227
Parking – please park in South Lot
Breakfast Conversations on Innovation in Education
Join us on Tuesday morning, November 19 at 7:30 am for a program on exploring Innovation in Education. We will convene at Canyon Creek Elementary School to hear from educators and to explore one district’s approach to reinventing their standard prototypical elementary school design into innovative learning environments.
Canyon Creek Elementary is home to Pre-Kindergarten – 5th grade and is the 36th school for the Olathe School District. Canyon Creek is a neighborhood school serving approximately 300 students and opened its doors in August of 2019. Students at Canyon Creek receive an education that focuses on Project-Based Learning (PBL). Project Based Learning is a practice that takes a learning-by-doing approach wherein students are active participants in their own educational development. In the learning environments at Canyon Creek Elementary you will find students solving problems, participating in simulations, conducting case studies and designing research projects based on different areas of inquiry. Students learn content through a project instead of completing a project after learning the material.
Christy James the Principal at Canyon Creek will share with us how the district has approached PBL and the development of Canyon Creek into a new innovative learning environment. The design focused on learning spaces centered around activity space for collaboration including individual lab rooms and small group workspaces. A learning stair, maker space and learning commons were included for additional project-based learning opportunities. Through the redevelopment of the prototypical design, the district was able to reduce building area dedicated to circulation and save approximately 1000 square feet.
Quarterly Conversation #2
FREE EVENT
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
7:30 AM – 9:00 AM
Valley Park Elementary School, 12301 Lamar Ave, Leawood, KS 66209
Please park across the street at the Christian Church of Greater Kansas City, 12251 Lamar Ave, Leawood, KS 66209
Breakfast Conversations on Innovation in Education
Join us on Wednesday morning, September 25 at 7:30 am for a two-part program on exploring Innovation in Education. We will convene at Valley Park Elementary School to hear from our 2018 grant winners and to explore one district’s approach to balance flexible learning environments with a mindset of safety and security.
Valley Park Elementary is home to Kindergarten – 5th grade and is the second location for the Blue Valley School District’s Chinese Immersion Program. They recently completed a significant addition to add classrooms and collaborative learning spaces for their students and staff. This highly flexible and connected environment will provide unique opportunities for bringing learners together in new ways. We’ll hear from the building principal on how these new spaces are being implemented, as well as the Blue Valley Director of Safety and Security on how the district has approached the creation of not only flexible spaces, but safe spaces as well.
In addition to a self-led tour and presentation by district staff, we’ll hear from the 2018 Innovation in Education grant winners, the first teachers awarded with A4LE funds to bring a fresh perspective to learning in the KC area. We are thrilled to welcome these educators back to share how they have implemented their grants and seen impact during the first year and beyond. Their unique views will be a fantastic way to continue the important conversation of how daily learning can be fun and engaging. Topics will cover student centered active learning spaces, a library innovation studio, implementation of a makerspace and use of a tower gardening system.
Quarterly Conversation #1
FREE EVENT
Thursday, April 11, 2019
7:30 AM – 9:00 AM
PlexPod Crossroads, 1712 Main Street, Kansas City, MO 64108
Street parking is available on Main Street, Baltimore, 17th and 18th.
A surface lot next to Anton's on 17th and Main is also available for a $5.00 fee.
A Conversation on Successful School-to-Work Transitions
As the world continues to evolve at an increasingly rapid pace, the challenge of preparing today's learners to be tomorrow's leaders weighs heavily on educators and parents alike. An industrial model of education is no longer the most appropriate way to create a future-ready workforce, as today's employers are looking for team members to be strategic thinkers who are comfortable with collaboration.
The Kansas City Chapter of A4LE is excited to host an important conversation about how innovative learning experiences can prepare students for successful next steps.
Kari Keefe, Executive Director of the KC Social Innovation Center, will share how their organization is centralizing programs to support work-readiness and equal opportunity in school-to-work transitions. We'll gather at PlexPod, a co-working community in the heart of the Crossroads area, where we’ll leverage the power of the group to discuss how our own work experiences can shape the way we think about preparing students for successful careers and life skills through schools and community agencies.
KC Social Innovation Center (KCSIC) is a nonprofit impact agency with a mission to create economic opportunity and social impact by advancing innovation in learning, workforce development, and human capital initiatives in an age of digital transformation. The Center manages Hire KC – the original, signature youth employment program started by Kansas City, Missouri Mayor Sly James. In 2017, Mayor James expanded the initiative from a city hall program into a citywide youth success platform managed by KCSIC. Today, Hire KC is the primary funnel of youth engagement for internships in the KC Region. Participation is open to all high school and college students from the 6-county Greater Kansas City Metropolitan Area.