Godley High School has only been open for one year and is already bringing home awards for its design and architecture.

The campus is one of six Texas schools to be named a finalist in the 2019-20 Exhibit of School Architecture competition with the Texas Association of School Administrators and the Texas Association of School Boards.

The competition showcases new and renovated Texas schools and celebrates excellence in the planning and design of the learning environment.

GISD opened the school last year after voters approved a $50 million bond package in May 2016. The schools design centers around the Center for Learning & Innovation Center, a large core space that features a caf, library, collaboration rooms with moveable walls, a film room, learning staircase and access to outside.

The school won the 2018 American Institute of Architecture Fort Worth Honor Design Award in November, which recognizes excellence in contemporary architecture and seeks to highlight how buildings and spaces improve lives.

GISD Superintendent Rich Dear said while designing the school with Huckabee Architecture, their team had an intentional focus on flexibility and empowerment.

We wanted a facility that created an environment that would empower and inspire teachers and learners, while at the same time have the ability to adapt and evolve with the changing face of education, Dear said. We made sure to include many great ideas brought to us by our learners and were able to bring them to life.

Great communities build great schools, he said, and great schools build great communities.

Thanks to our amazing community, our expectations were exceeded, which is illustrated by the incredibly positive climate and culture at our new high school, he said. The new high school is filled with flexible spaces, some with movable walls that afford multiple uses for teachers and learners. We understood and embraced the fact that learning can occur anywhere, which is why our flex spaces are both inside and outside the building.

That being said, our biggest feedback from students and teachers is the ease and ability to learn outside of the traditional classroom.

The winners of the competition will be announced in January. For information, visit tasa.tasb.org/exhibit-hall/exhibit-of-school-architecture.aspx.

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Godley High School named finalist for architecture award - Cleburne Times-Review