In this chapter of Foundations + Futures: By the Decade, we step into the 2000s, a decade reshaped by school security, sustainability and the growing belief that a building could be a tool for wellness, community and change. For Schmidt Associates, it was the era of deepening roots.

Anna Marie Burrell, K-12 studio leader and principal-in-charge, joins host Sarah Hempstead to reflect on more than 21 years of putting community at the center of every school project. Anna Marie came to Schmidt Associates in the early 2000s with architecture already in her bones, and this conversation brings to life the decade when that kind of intentional, people-first design began to define the firm's identity.

Listeners will hear about:

• Plainfield High School and the community task force process that started with a question, not a blueprint
• Decatur Central High School, one of Indiana's first project-based learning environments
• The Vincennes Community School renovation, one of Indiana's first LEED-certified schools
• School security, mental health and wellness and how those conversations took root in this decade
• Schmidt Academy and the firm's formal commitment to lifelong learning
• Wayne Schmidt's servant leadership, seen up close by someone who got to watch it firsthand

For the first time in this series, Sarah isn't just interviewing someone about a decade. She's remembering alongside them. Both joined the firm in the early 2000s, both found something here they weren't expecting, and both will tell you the culture was better than advertised.

This decade was about purpose. About designing not just for today's students, but for the communities they'll grow up to lead. That approach is still how Schmidt Associates operates today.

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