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| 1 LU |
Date/Time: November 6, 2026 | 1:00 – 2:00 pm
Room: TAHOMA 1
Abstract: Created by and for White Center, the HUB (Hope Unity Belonging) is a space for learning, sharing, and community connection – anchoring efforts to build a more resilient and thriving neighborhood. Inside the HUB, the Education Center provides a supportive, culturally responsive program for youth looking to complete their education outside the mainstream system. The Education Center offers a re-engagement program, a partnership between Southwest Youth and Family Services and Highline School District, with certified teachers, a GED instructor, and an academic case manager. Adjacent to the HUB, Canopy provides one- to four-bedroom homes for households of all sizes, surrounded by health and community service providers and designed to support residents as they learn, grow, and belong.
This session brings together a Community Development Association (White Center CDA), a public high school Principal (Evergreen High School), a change-maker nonprofit (Southwest Youth and Family Services), and a mission-driven architect (Side x Side Architects) to share the story behind the White Center Community HUB place-making and a community-supported student learning environment. Grounded in the White Center community’s vision to cultivate economic and ethnic diversity, this place-based effort centers education, health, well-being, and belonging for all.
Learning Objectives:
Educational Visioning
Facilitating the translation of educational goals/vision into school design requirements.
Community Engagement
Connecting the educational plan to the vision of the community and the District.
Educational Facility Pre-Design Planning
Manages a master planning process that combines educational planning, facilities assessment and utilization, demographic research, capital planning and educational specifications with a community based vision to establish a plan for learning environments.
Design of Educational Facilities
Aligning Educational & Community vision with design to support a regenerative mindset for a sustainable and future-ready Educational Facility.
Educational Facility Implementation, Project Management/Project Delivery
Successfully delivering a project that meets the needs of the community, district, and students.
Assessment of the School Facility
The ability to objectively evaluate a learning environment post occupancy and utilize that data to improve future projects.
Implements a plan for educational commissioning that provides guidance on how to use and maximize the learning environment to meet the foundational vision established in the planning phase.
Gladys is a founding partner of Side x Side Architects in Seattle. SxS is working side by side with the communities most impacted to change the practice as normal by broadening the spectrum of architectural services to promote community-focused design that supports equity and sustainability in the built environment. Gladys’ work focuses on the underserved populations in mission-driven sectors, including K-12 education, affordable housing, community and cultural spaces, and social supportive services.
Joseph taught at Evergreen for nine years before becoming permanent principal in 2025. As the 2020 Teacher of the Year, Joe is a proud graduate of the Danforth Educational Leadership Program (D35) at the University of Washington. He holds a MiT from The Evergreen State College, an MA in the History of Medicine with a focus on Paleopathology from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne in the U.K., and a BA from Western Washington University.
Aaron serves as the Executive Director of the White Center Community Development Association (WCCDA), a community-rooted organization grounded in cultural pride, collective care, and long-haul resilience. A product of White Center himself, Aaron leads with deep respect for the legacy of elders and community leaders who’ve paved the way and held the line for decades, keeping the neighborhood connected, organized, and full of heart.
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Seattle Convention Center
705 Pike Street
Seattle, WA 98101
November 4-7, 2026
Email: donna@a4le.org
+1 480.391.0840