American Architectural Foundation Honors School in Grand Rapids, Michigan

Burton Elementary and Middle School Receives Richard Riley Award for Schools as Centers of Community

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Nov. 1, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Architectural Foundation (AAF) in partnership with KnowledgeWorks has awarded the sixth annual Richard Riley Award to Burton Elementary and Middle School in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The Richard Riley Award promotes the idea of schools as centers of community and honors excellence in schools that open their doors to community residents of all ages for educational resources and other services.

AAF will present the award to Burton Elementary and Middle School with a ceremony at the school on Wednesday, November 3, 2010. Educational leaders, elected officials, members of the media, and other community leaders are expected to attend.

The Richard Riley Award honors both design and educational excellence, with an emphasis on innovation. The award was named in honor of former U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley, who promoted the idea of schools as centers of community.

"Burton Elementary and Middle School sets a national benchmark for how a community can create a school and campus that is truly at the center of its community," said Ron Bogle, President and CEO of the American Architectural Foundation. "We are very pleased to award Burton Schools with the Richard Riley Award."

Burton Elementary and Middle School, located in the Garfield Park neighborhood of Grand Rapids, hoped to better serve its diverse community by updating and renovating their school building, originally built in 1925. Burton Schools wanted to reinforce the "community schools" model, which provides in-house community, health, and financial services to children and families. Its major innovation was the creation of a "community services wing" within the building in order to provide easy access to social services ranging from a community health and dental center to prevention groups and treatment services. It was important that this wing be located at the front of the facility—accessible even when the school was closed—and that the services be provided in both English and Spanish.

By co-housing the elementary and middle schools in one building, the district experiences ongoing savings in both staff and building resources thanks to shared office and meeting spaces. The success of Burton Elementary and Middle School's renovation is now encouraging other district schools to emulate this model. It has highlighted the importance of community services within a school building as a way to increase accessibility and awareness. By making school facilities more conducive to learning and more accessible, schools are able to provide a community with a rich array of social, civic, recreational, and artistic opportunities.

SOURCE American Architectural Foundation