At Monday night’s board meeting, the Camas School District recognized a team of student innovators with the Mill Town Pride Award for their outstanding participation in the SchoolsNEXT Design Challenge. This national project-based learning competition asks students to design the school of the future.
This year’s honorees—Ella Tretheway, Zac Tricola, Jasmine Wieringa, and An Luu—used the design thinking process to create a sustainable, student-centered learning environment. Their project reflected a deep understanding of how school facilities can promote well-being, creativity, and community connection.
Led by the Association for Learning Environments (A4LE) and supported locally by Integrus Architecture, the SchoolsNEXT challenge connects students with architects, engineers, and educators to explore how thoughtful design can improve educational outcomes. Along the way, students gain hands-on experience, visit high-performance buildings, and learn how their voices can influence the future of school design.
“This program gives students more than exposure to architecture—it shows them their ideas have real power,” said one of the presenters.
Congratulations to Ella, Zac, Jasmine, and An for their visionary work and for reminding us that the best ideas often come from the students themselves.