Tag: industry
SCHRADERGROUP Attends A4LE Northeast’s 2022 Annual Regional Conference
SCHRADERGROUP (SG) recently attended the annual Association for Learning Environments (A4LE) 2022 Northeast Region Conference from April 6th to the 9th in Washington, D.C.
The conference was held at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill and was attended by SG Managing Partner David Schrader, Principal Harry Pettoni, Associate Danielle Hoffer, Interior Designer Charlotte Stoudt, and Project Architect Christopher Farmer.
In addition to our firm’s presence at this great event, SG’s own David Schrader and Danie Hoffer presented a special session along with the School District of Springfield Township’s (SDST) Director of Student Affairs, Dr. Catherine Van Vooren.
The session, titled “Enhanced Critical Thinking – For 5 Year Olds?” profiled how SDST and the community worked together to inspire the design of a new K-2 early learning center: the Enfield Elementary School located in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. The session dove into how SG’s community-based workshop process and the resulting school design promotes critical thinking, student movement, collaboration, socialization, and communication through the principles of project-based learning for these very young and influential minds.
The theme for this year’s conference was “Blossoming Minds… A Time for Renewal and Optimism.” The event gathered school facility managers, architects, educators, school planners, engineers, and maintenance and industry experts to share in new conversations about the need for adapting our learning environments to new levels of mindfulness, as well as personalized comfort found in equality, inclusion, and the community. The conference focused on a strong understanding of the student experience and how designing with empathy allows for school planning to be driven by a focus on the future of learning, while still supporting capital needs, growth, and other logistical considerations of school systems.
The SG team would like to thank the dedicated staff of A4LE for organizing this great event and to all who attended our session, and we look forward to attending another A4LE conference very soon!
The Association for Learning Environments (A4LE) is a professional non-profit association dedicated to improving the places where children learn. The A4LE Northeast Region consists of Chapters that service the Northeast Region of the United States as well as nearby Canadian Provinces. To learn more about the A4LE Northeast Region, please click here.
To learn more about SCHRADERGROUP’s commitment to design for education, please click here.
SCHRADERGROUP’S Commitment to Mentoring the Next Generation
At SCHRADERGROUP (SG), we are dedicated to learning. This is evidenced by the numerous educational facilities and associated projects we have completed over our 17-year history. In addition to the work we do designing educational facilities throughout the Mid-Atlantic, SG employees go above and beyond to help the next generation of professionals excel in every way possible. One such method is mentoring.
The SG team is involved in a variety of mentoring programs at the University and K-12 level, including the Pennsylvania State University Stuckeman School of Architecture Alumni Mentoring Program, the ACE Mentor Program of America, and other collegiate and private mentoring opportunities.
Managing Partner David Schrader is a board member of the Penn State Architecture Alumni Group (AAG). President of the group from July 2018 until July 2020, David is now the official Stuckeman School AAG representative to the Arts and Architecture Alumni Society. He has dedicated much of his time to ensuring the success of PSU students by guiding them through the hurdles of the industry and helping forge new relationships with key connections after graduation.
Following in David’s footsteps, multiple SG team members have joined the mentoring program at the Stuckeman School as well. Project Architects Eric Weiss and Paige Geldrich have been involved for three years while Project Architect Jeremy Ross and Architectural Designers Selby Niumataiwalu and Tyler Corbley are currently participating in their first year of the program.
Project Architect Chris Farmer is also active in guiding students to a brighter future. Chris is an active participant in Jefferson University’s Career Services Department, meeting one-on-one with Jefferson students interested in Architecture.
Recently, the office opened its doors to several area high school students interested in the profession by providing them with a day in the office and then a tour of the New Upper Merion Area High School construction site. Recent graduate and rising architect Jillian Kreglow supported the in-office experience and Associate Dan D’Amico provided the on-site construction tour along with Chris Gehm of W. H. Lane. We hope that this experience inspires those students to start on the path of architecture as a possible future career!
In addition to the programs SG employees participate in, mentoring is also a key aspect of our daily life here at SG. Each year, we welcome summer interns to the company in order to promote and nurture emerging talent. At SG, we recognize the importance of an internship in this industry and have found that offering a mentorship component can lead to our interns gaining the skills and experience necessary to succeed in the future.
Learn more about the PSU Architecture Alumni Group here.
Interesting in working at SG? Visit our Careers page here.