Tour & Dinner Presentation
John Rogers Elementary School
Thursday, March 19, 2026
Tour: 4:30 – 5:30 pm PT
Dinner/Presentation: 6:00 – 8:00 pm PT
Seattle Public Schools set out to create a future-ready learning environment that advances climate resilience, equity, and high-
performance design. The new John Rogers Elementary School delivers on that bold vision—setting a new precedent as the District’s
first Net-Zero Energy school.
Situated on a 9.1-acre site adjacent to the Thornton Creek watershed, the design unifies a previously divided upper and lower campus
through a graceful sequence of connected terraces. The 82,000 SF, 2–3 story building will serve 500 PreK–5 students—adaptable to
support up to 650 students in the future—and fosters daily opportunities for place-based learning and play that are deeply rooted in the
surrounding landscape and ecology.
In alignment with Seattle Public Schools’ Strategic Plan and Board Policy 0030 on Educational and Racial Equity, every aspect of the
school reflects extensive community input. With dozens of engagement touchpoints throughout the design process, community
priorities have been directly translated into design features that support whole-child development and meet the evolving needs of
families.
The building embraces a central courtyard and nestles into the forested hillside, offering outdoor classrooms, learning gardens, and
nature-based play. A second-story library with sweeping territorial views anchors the school as a community hub for inspiration,
gathering, and reflection.
Sustainable strategies are integrated throughout: daylight-filled classrooms, optimal building orientation, a high-performance envelope,
geothermal heating and cooling, and a rooftop solar array that will provide 100% of the school’s energy needs. These features work
together to enhance user wellness, comfort, and indoor environmental quality to support the highest quality teaching and learning.
Opening in Fall 2025 and funded by the BEX V Capital Levy, John Rogers Elementary exemplifies how community-driven, climate-
responsive design can shape a nurturing, inclusive, and resilient school for generations to come.
Learning Objectives:
- Analyze how deeply embedded community engagement processes can translate into spatial strategies that support educational equity,
social-emotional development, and intergenerational family support.
- Investigate how strategic integration of site and building design can transform constraints into opportunities for connectivity,
accessibility, and layered outdoor learning environments.
- Learn how place-based design strategies can connect students to local ecology and support outdoor, experiential learning opportunities
year-round.
- Evaluate how Net-Zero Energy goals inform building form, systems integration, and envelope design in the context of a high-
performance public elementary school.
Project Team:
Architect Company of Record: DLR Group
Landscape Architect: Osborn Consulting
Mechanical Engineer: Metrix Engineers
Structural Engineer: DLR Group
Electrical Engineer: Hargis Engineers
Civil Engineer: LPD Engineering
Contractor: Lydig Construction
Specialized Consultants:
Strategic Equity Advisor – Vanir Construction Management
Accessibility Consultants – Studio Pacifica
Owner: Seattle Public Schools
EARN 2 CEU’s!
Dinner Presentation: The Neuroscience of Play
Play is hardwired into your brain. It’s not frivolous, it’s a biological necessity across our lifetime that fuels creativity, resilience, empathy, authenticity, and well-being. These are the traits that fuel thriving in a complex, lonely, polarized, rapidly changing world. In this keynote, you’ll learn about what happens in the brain when we play, how to practice play, and how we can design our spaces and lives to activate more play. Drawing on neuroscience, animal research, and clinical studies, this keynote shows how play supports emotional regulation, learning, creativity, social connection, and resilience across the lifespan. Play activates ancient subcortical brain circuits, enhances neuroplasticity, reduces stress, and improves cognitive flexibility. In contrast, play deprivation is linked to depression, rigidity, and aggression. Participants will gain practical frameworks—play styles and play portals—to intentionally integrate play into learning, work, and daily life.
The practical application of play theory will include a panel discussion with Conrad Pyler, PLA from Seattle Public Schools who is involved with Small Works projects replacing play areas across the school district. Conrad will review and discuss how the school district achieves equity and creates community engagement using the outdoor learning and play areas, and elevates the conversation about what happens outdoors.
The presentation will conclude with an interactive workshop in which participants will experience some aspects of play theory and have the opportunity to discuss how they can elevate the conversation about how the school campus is designed to create a healthy supportive environment.
Learning Objectives:
- Explain the neurobiological mechanisms of play, including its effects on emotional regulation, stress reduction, and brain plasticity.
- Identify the cognitive, social, and behavioral impacts of play deprivation and their relevance to human performance and well-being.
- Evaluate how play enhances learning, creativity, collaboration, and productivity in professional and educational environments.
- Apply evidence-based play frameworks (play styles and play portals) to support healthier, more adaptive, and more resilient individuals and communities.
Mia Sundstrom, CEO, National Institute for Play (NIFP)
https://www.miasundstrom.com/
Mia Sundstrom is the CEO of the National Institute for Play (NIFP) and the Granddaughter of NIFP founder and play expert, Dr. Stuart Brown. Mia also works as a play and character education consultant for the Office of the Chancellor at the University of Denver.
Mia has reached global audiences through her speaking engagements, including recent presentations at Aspen Ideas and the World Expo in Osaka, Japan. She has appeared on podcasts, delivered keynotes, led workshops, and consulted with schools and organizations to leverage the power of play to build strengths of character, enhance learning, improve leadership, strengthen community, and unlock innovation.
As Dr. Stuart Brown’s granddaughter, Mia has chosen a career trajectory to enliven his legacy and build upon the incredible work he’s contributed to the science and application of play.
“Mia Sundstrom is the CEO at the National Institute for Play, the organization founded by her grandfather, Dr. Stuart Brown, to champion the science of play across the lifespan. She also serves as Project Manager for Character Education in the Chancellor’s Office at the University of Denver, where she’s helping shape how values and play intersect to build stronger, more resilient learners. Mia brings generational insight, research, facts, scientific understanding, and powerful storytelling to this work. She has become a sought-after voice in the play movement and has a central role in advancing Dr. Brown’s legacy.”
~World Expo Panel
The National Institute for Play
https://nifplay.org/
The National Institute for Play (NIFPlay) is a global leader in the neuroscience of play, curating and interpreting research that reveals how play fundamentally shapes cognitive, emotional, physical and social development to unlock human potential. Founded by Dr. Stuart Brown, the Institute has revolutionized our understanding of play as a biological necessity, not a luxury.
NIFPlay’s insights have captured worldwide attention, with our research featured in major media including National Geographic, BBC, NPR, PBS, and TED Talks. Our evidence-based approach has transformed how educators, coaches, parents, healthcare professionals, and organizations view the critical role of play in human development and performance.
Through rigorous scientific research, NIFPlay demonstrates how play activates essential pathways for creativity, resilience, productivity, well-being, learning, purpose, and connection. Play isn’t just for children—it’s vital for adults too. In a time of widespread disconnection, loneliness, burnout, and polarization, play offers a path towards thriving.
As a predominant voice in play science, NIFPlay bridges the gap between cutting-edge neuroscience and practical application. We empower individuals and institutions worldwide to break through misconceptions about play and harness its transformative power.
Conrad Plyler, PLA, Project Manager Capital Projects and Planning, Seattle Public Schools
Conrad is a Project Manager with the Seattle Public Schools Capital Projects Department, specializing in managing Athletic Field, Athletic Field Lighting, and Playground Replacement projects throughout the 106-school district. Graduating from the University of Washington in 1998 with a degree in Landscape Architecture, Conrad worked in several Landscape Architecture firms, as well as a Landscape Construction office, in Seattle prior to joining Seattle Public Schools in 2020. Conrad enjoys bringing active and passive play to the schools within the district, and wants to make sure the schools, and the surrounding communities, benefit from these outdoor spaces.
Schedule:
Rates:
| Private Firm Member |
$70 / $80
|
| Private Firm Non-Member |
$90 / $100 |
| School Districts / Government Agency |
$35 |
Please register so we can get an accurate head count.
Registration closes on March 18.
Early bird registration closes on March 6.
Sponsorship Opportunities Available!
Dinner Sponsor – Tier 1 (Unlimited) $2,000
- Logo displayed near event entrance
- Promotional Literature distributed at sponsored dinner presentation (sponsor to provide)
- Premier logo recognition on presentation slides at sponsored event
- Premier logo recognition on pre-event marketing emails and event webpage for sponsored event
Dinner Sponsor – Tier 2 (Unlimited) $500
- Logo displayed near event entrance
- Logo recognition on presentation slides at sponsored event
- Logo recognition on pre-event marketing emails and event webpage for sponsored event
Happy Hour Sponsor – Tier 1 – $2,000 | SOLD
- Logo displayed at bar
- Premier logo recognition on presentation slides at sponsored event
- Premier logo recognition on pre-event marketing emails and event webpage for sponsored event
- Compensates for 1 drink for attendees at event, meet and greet at the bar
Happy Hour Sponsor – Tier 2 (Unlimited) $500
- Logo displayed at bar
- Logo recognition on presentation slides at sponsored event
- Logo recognition on pre-event marketing emails and event webpage for sponsored event
Select Program Option: SCHOOL TOUR 3 MAR – John Rogers ES (SLATED) to register.
We greatly appreciate your attendance and active participation in our chapter events.