Angeline Washington was born into slavery in Parkville and went on to become a landowner, educator and community builder there. The school honoring her name arrived after the design concept was already underway, which meant the team had a distinct process on this project: building her story of resilience and leadership into the school’s identity as the design continued to develop, rather than starting from it.
DESIGN APPROACH
An angled roofline at the entry signals motion and play from the moment students arrive. The building nestles into its site and the exterior pairs timeless, earthy materials with a brick detail that shimmers as the sun moves across it throughout the day.
The media center anchors the building, positioned front and center with floor-to-ceiling windows and a flex space attached. From there, the school organizes into three large neighborhoods, each built around a shared makerspace and two flex spaces. Each neighborhood, marked by bold geometric graphics, holds five classrooms, including integrated special education classrooms, and operable garage doors to the flex space to support co-teaching.
The gymnasium serves as a multipurpose space hosting PE, community events, and performances while also functioning as a storm shelter. In the commons, modern seating and ample daylight give lunchtime an elevated feel.
The “Reach for the Stars” theme carries through the interior: a navy ceiling, lantern elements, and ceiling details tie the specials classrooms together, with sightlines connecting different floors of the building. At the grand stair, a large owl mascot appears to soar across a fiber optic, twinkling wall graphic, a detail that ties the building’s story back to its name.
BRANDING
The owl mascot came out of a specific moment: students and staff watched the documentary Black Boys together, and one student described himself as an owl, able to see the future and understand multiple perspectives. That observation became the starting point for the school’s identity. The district surveyed students, staff, and families to define what the owl should represent: wisdom, courage, responsibility, respect, knowledge, dedication to excellence and trust.
Purple and gold were chosen for their ties to the suffragette movement, reinforcing the school’s focus on equity, voice and leadership. HMA’s graphic design team turned those values into a mascot and a set of environmental graphics built to feel welcoming to a K-6 student body, carrying Angeline Washington’s story of perseverance through the building every day.
