Dekker/Perich/Sabatini (D/P/S) design firm recently received the Monarch Award at the 2018 Association for Learning Environments (A4LE) Southwest Regional Conference for its design of Bernalillo High School. The Monarch Award recognizes exceptional planning and architectural design of high quality learning environments in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.

Bernalillo High School, part of Bernalillo Public Schools and serving more than 900 students drawn from the diverse, historically agricultural community, underwent a three-phase campus renovation to create a modern and unified school identity with 21st century learning environments, state-of-the-art career technical education, new administration spaces and improved energy efficiency. The work was completed in July 2016.

D/P/S’s design of the school emphasized engagement with the local community and resulted in a new two-story Academic and Administration Building with robust technology, a one-story Career Technical Education Building that encourages career exploration, and a renovated gymnasium all encircling a renewed open-air courtyard. The campus transformation was completed in phases to eliminate the cost and need for temporary facilities.

“The success of the Bernalillo High School renovation lies in its ability to support student performance,” said Sanjay Kadu, Principal of Dekker/Perich/Sabatini. “The school brings the latest in educational design and gives students access to new opportunities and resources. The high school is a great example of transforming older spaces into inspiring new learning environments.”

The Association for Learning Environments is a professional, non-profit organization with the sole mission of improving the places where children learn. The award ceremony was held during the annual regional conference in Denver, CO.