October 28-30, 2026 |
Kansas City, MO

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Cynthia Ray

Cynthia Ray

Interior DesignerBVH Architecture

Cynthia Ray, Associate Principal at BVH Architecture, brings nearly a decade of experience in education design. Her research-driven approach supports learning environments from early childhood through higher education, focusing on inclusive, flexible spaces that provide optimal places for students to learn and teachers to teach. Her work is informed by research into neurodiversity, trauma-informed design, accessibility, and wellness, and shaped through active engagement with students, teachers, and community stakeholders. Cynthia also mentors emerging designers and supports education-focused initiatives through her leadership with A4LE, the Omaha STEM Ecosystem, and CREW Omaha.  

Wed Oct 28•2:30 PM – 3:30 PM

Collective Foundations: How Community Voice Shapes the Modern School

How can community input become embodied in school architecture to support wellbeing and authentically reflect the community? At Omaha's Westside Commu…How can community input become embodied in school architecture to support wellbeing and authentically reflect the community? At Omaha's Westside Community Schools; community, teacher and student voices guided inclusive design processes. Join the Arch…How can community input become embodied in school architecture to support wellbeing and authentically reflect the community? At Omaha's Westside Community Schools; community, teacher and student voices guided inclusive design processes. Join the Architect, School Principal, and Owner's Representative to reflect on a data-driven design process. Through interactive slide surveys and small-group discussions, this multi-disciplinary panel will share …How can community input become embodied in school architecture to support wellbeing and authentically reflect the community? At Omaha's Westside Community Schools; community, teacher and student voices guided inclusive design processes. Join the Architect, School Principal, and Owner's Representative to reflect on a data-driven design process. Through interactive slide surveys and small-group discussions, this multi-disciplinary panel will share actionable frameworks for using research and engagement to create future-ready learning ecosystems over four school projects.Show MoreClick the title to see all detailsShow More

EDsession (60 minutes in classrooms)Session TypeTRACK 2: Designing for the Human Experience — Wellbeing, inclusion, safety, and human performanceSession Track
Cleveland Reeves
Garret Higginbotham
Matt Herzog
Cynthia Ray
Cleveland Reeves
Cleveland ReevesPrincipal Architect, BVH Architecture
Garret Higginbotham
Garret HigginbothamSchool Principal, Rockbrook Elementary School/Westside Community Schools
Matt Herzog
Matt HerzogPrincipal / Owner's Representative, Project Advocates
Cynthia Ray
Cynthia RayInterior Designer, BVH Architecture
Cleveland Reeves
Cleveland ReevesPrincipal Architect, BVH Architecture
Garret Higginbotham
Garret HigginbothamSchool Principal, Rockbrook Elementary School/Westside Community Schools
Matt Herzog
Matt HerzogPrincipal / Owner's Representative, Project Advocates
Cynthia Ray
Cynthia RayInterior Designer, BVH Architecture
Tags:Group A
Allow Registration:No
Capacity Unlimited:No
Indicate how the topic is applicable to Health, Safety, Welfare (HSW) Design credits.:Learning objective 1 addresses inclusivity & wellbeing, learning objective 2 addresses human performance and learning objective 3 addresses emotional security. All of these were addressed in multiple ways through the various community engagment methods, and the design result that followed. Our surveys that will be shared also directly addressed these and other HSW topics that will illustrate design input and post-occupancy survey results as well.
Learner Engagement:At a minimum, this session will include live audience engagement slides (ie: slido interaction), as well as small group conversation and report back. Other methods may be included as we develop the final engagement.
Learning Objective 1:Analyze how student and teacher input can drive the design of learning environments that promote inclusivity, social-emotional wellbeing, and a school community's unique culture.