Waukee Innovation & Learning Center Featured in The 74 Million as ‘a Model for the Country’
October 17, 2018
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The Waukee Innovation & Learning Center (WILC) was recently featured in The 74 Million for its innovative approach to merging curriculum with design.
The piece highlights how CannonDesign, in association with INVISION, worked with the Waukee Community School District to ensure the facility utilized flexible working environments that supported the district’s APEX leadership development program. The program’s five core strands – financial and insurance; business, technology and communication; engineering; human services; and biosciences and added-value agriculture – can utilize spaces like The Hub, a central co-working space; enclaves; and labs to help encourage student collaboration and entrepreneurship.
The article opens on shining praise from one of the world’s biggest technology leaders: “When Apple CEO Tim Cook visited [last fall], he called the building a ‘model for the country’ and said he hopes every student in America has the chance to learn in a similar environment.”
It also covers the relationships both the design process and resulting facility helped foster. CannonDesign and INVISION worked closely with the district and local business community members to develop spaces for the APEX program partners to work or meet with students.
As stated by Cindi McDonald, superintendent of the Waukee Community School District, about the facility, program and partner relationships: “It gives us great hope,” she says. “What has happened for us is we have seen young people absolutely soar, and the barriers have been removed in terms of being creative, collaborative, and innovative.”
The full piece can be found here for reference.
