Thaden School receives design prize, Rogers Public Schools awarded grant

Thaden School, a private, independent school in Bentonville, recently announced that it received one of the highest honors in global architecture: the Andrea Palladio International Prize, presented in Vicenza, Italy.

The prize was named for Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio and recognizes “exceptional collaboration between visionary clients and accomplished design teams in the pursuit of enduring architectural excellence,” according to a news release.

This past spring, the school won the 2025 Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize, one of the most prestigious honors in contemporary architecture. Other awards include the James D. MacConnell Award for Design Excellence in K-12 Education and multiple national AIA Honor Awards.

Thaden’s founding head of school, Clayton Marsh, traveled to Vicenza, Italy, to accept the award alongside Marlon Blackwell of Fayetteville-based Marlon Blackwell Architects and Steve Dumez of EskewDumezRipple of New Orleans who collaborated with Andropogon of Philadelphia on the design of Thaden’s 30-acre campus. The Walton Family Foundation’s Northwest Arkansas Design Excellence Program supported its design.

“Our early participation in the Walton Family Foundation’s Design Excellence Program has been critical to our success,” Marsh said. “Together with our design partners, we created a campus of the place, in the place, for the place – one that celebrates the character and natural beauty of Northwest Arkansas and that advances our mission as a school where students from all walks of life can cultivate their potential to the highest degree.”

The Andrea Palladio International Prize, which is presented once every five years, received more than 250 nominations globally. The ceremony took place at Palladio’s Teatro Olimpico, the world’s oldest indoor theater.

“Our campus grew from the belief that architecture is itself education,” Marsh said. “Every space should act as a teacher that nurtures curiosity, inspires creativity, and invites connection. To receive this prize in the remarkable theater that Palladio designed for his home city of Vicenza affirms that great architecture, like great teaching, begins with vision, collaboration and a deep sense of place.”

Thaden School was named in honor of Louise McPhetridge Thaden, an aviator from Northwest Arkansas. The school was founded in 2017 and has opened its campus in phases. It will serve grades K-12 for the 2026-27 school year.

Marsh said the awards are significant, but “the truest and most exciting reflection of the campus’ design is the daily work of Thaden’s students. We see it in their art and film, their culinary creations and environmental projects, their mathematical studies of its geometry and sightlines, and in so many other forms. The jury for the Palladio Prize was also impressed by the degree to which we envisioned and now embrace our campus as a platform for community engagement and outreach, true to the history of this site as the former home of the Benton County Fair for nearly 80 years.”

According to the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal’s largest private schools list on Oct. 20, fall enrollment at Thaden School rose to 380 in 2025 from 336 in 2024. Enrollment is up 17.3% from 2023, when it was 324.

ROGERS SCHOOL GRANT 
Rogers Public Schools will use a $710,500 grant from the Walton Family Foundation to help expand academic programs and hands-on career pathways that prepare students for college and the workforce, according to a Monday (Nov. 10) news release.

The two-year grant will support the programs and pathways in the Rogers Honors Academy and the district’s Career & Technical Education program, Launch.

“This grant represents a tremendous investment in our students’ futures,” said Dustin Seaton, director of Advanced Programs. “With this support, we can continue to grow the Rogers Honors Academy and Launch, ensuring that every learner has access to rigorous academics and experiential learning that open doors beyond high school.”

Rogers Honors Academy was established in 2017 with funding from the Walton Family Foundation and the Rogers School District. The academy offers high school students an academic track that includes college-level coursework, enrichment opportunities and mentorship. One of the most notable opportunities is the chance to take free college campus tours to top colleges and universities across the country, providing students with firsthand exposure to campuses, programs and resources for their higher education journeys.

The district’s Launch program offers students practical, career-focused experiences in fields such as health sciences, engineering, business and technology. Classroom learning is combined with hands-on training and industry partnerships to equip students with the technical skills and certifications that prepare them for college and high-demand careers.

According to the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal’s largest public schools list on Oct. 20, fall enrollment at Rogers Public Schools fell to 14,923 in 2025 from 15,277 in 2024. Enrollment is down by 4% from 15,550 in 2023.