For ten years, the library at William M. Anderson Elementary stood silent. The doors were closed, the shelves were still, and the heart of the campus was waiting for a spark. This month, that silence was replaced by the joyful sounds of discovery as the community gathered to unveil a transformed space that doubles as a library and a career launchpad.
A Vision Reimagined
The revitalized library is the result of a powerful partnership between United to Learn, Avondale Dealerships, Anderson Elementary, Dallas ISD, and STEMscapes. Before the design was finalized, Juan Hernandez, Service Shop Foreman at Avondale’s Porsche Grapevine, welcomed United to Learn’s Alexia Piquet and the STEMscapes team into his service center. There, they studied the real-world tools and professional environments that would eventually inspire the library’s Avondale Automotive Zone, one of three zones in the library’s design. The other two are STEM and construction zones.
As Principal Mark Sandoval noted, the project is “breathing life into the soul of our campus,” providing a sanctuary where students do not just have to go, but want to be.
3 Immersive Learning Zones | 500+ Students With Access | 10 Years Doors Were Closed |
Why Early Exploration Matters
The strategy fueling the design centers on the idea that career-connected learning needs to start early. By the time students reach middle or high school, they are often asked to make pivotal decisions about their future without having had the chance to play with or envision different possibilities.
United to Learn CEO Tim Hise emphasizes that this environment helps students understand that “what they are reading, writing, and learning today has real-world application and possibility for their future.”
“Our children need to be able to envision their futures while they are still forming their identities,” he explains.
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Students explore engineering, physics, and problem-solving through hands-on stations designed for play and discovery.
Intentional by Design
Dawna Duke, founder of STEMscapes and a former Dallas ISD principal, notes that every detail of the space, from the colors to the task cards, was placed within students’ line of sight on purpose. The goal is to ensure that by the time a student sits down with a counselor before high school, they are not met with uncertainty. Instead, because of their weekly experiences in this library, they might confidently say, “I love mechanical engineering” or “I am interested in automotive pathways.”
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The revitalized library invites students to imagine themselves as builders, designers, engineers, and future professionals.
Real-World Connections
One of the most compelling moments of the ribbon-cutting celebration came when students met three Dallas ISD graduates, Jonathan Fraide, George Cardenas, and Juan Hernandez, who are now professionals at Avondale’s Porsche Grapevine. Seeing former students return as successful technicians transformed the Automotive Zone into a tangible bridge to the future.
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Dallas ISD graduates now working at Avondale’s Porsche Grapevine helped students connect classroom learning to future career possibilities.
For Avondale Dealerships President Hesham Elgaghil, whose parents were both educators, the project was personal.
“Every child deserves a space that sparks curiosity,” he says, imaging a third-grader at Anderson may one day “invent the world’s next great vehicle.”
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Volunteers helped bring the Avondale Automotive Zone to life during United to Learn’s Community Campus volunteer day.
A Community-Powered Future
In the words of Principal Sandoval, “This transformation did not happen in a vacuum; it happened because the Dallas community refused to let these doors stay closed any longer.” It is a shining example of what is possible when the business community steps in not just as a funder, but as a true partner in shaping the future workforce.
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Students, educators, families, and community partners gathered to celebrate the official opening of Anderson Elementary’s revitalized library.
At Anderson Elementary, the doors are finally open and the stories these students will write for themselves are just beginning.
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Inside the transformed space, students can read, build, test, explore, and begin imagining the futures they will create.
Join the Movement
The transformation at Anderson is a cornerstone of United to Learn’s Dream Big! initiative, which helps Dallas ISD campuses create student-centered spaces and experiences that engage and inspire. If your organization is interested in supporting transformative learning environments or sponsoring a project that connects students to future possibilities, we invite you to learn more about partnering with United to Learn.