Chicago Public Schools, C.T.E. Architecture Program and AIA Chicago • AIA Diversity Recognition
Program Submission 2013 • “Barbie I Can Be…Architect” Workshop • Chicago, IL
Table of Contents
Cover Page
1
Table of Contents
2
2013 AIA Diversity Recognition Program Application Form
3
Chicago Public Schools Organization Profile
4
Chicago Chapter of American Institute of Architects (AIA) Organization Profile
5
Support Letter from Architecture Professional
6
Support Letter from 3
rdGrade Teacher
7
Background
8
“Barbie I Can Be…Architect” in Chicago, IL
9
Description of PowerPoint
11
Events of the Day
12
Pictures from workshop at UIC and IIT
13
Volunteer Tracking and Planning
15
“Barbie I Can Be…Architect” Attendee List
17
Marketing Materials
18
Knowledge Gained From Experience
20
Demonstration of Excitement
21
Thank-You Letters
22
Chicago Public Schools, Pathways to College and Careers, C.T.E. Architecture Program Organization Description:
The C.T.E. Architecture program is for high school students that may be interested in pursuing a
career related to Architecture. Students are in the program from their sophomore year until
their senior year in high school. It is a class that they take everyday just as they would take their
math class. The program opens the door to the art and science behind designing and
constructing buildings. The students learn some of the aspects of designing buildings,
landscapes and cities. Students acquire techniques of architectural representation as they reach
technical competency through a series of drawing, model making, and computer-aided design
assignments of increasing complexity and scale.
The program has a strong partnership with the Chicago Architecture Foundation (CAF) which
hosts the CAF Newhouse Competition for the students every year. The students in the program
receive mentoring from professionals in Architecture, Construction and Engineering (ACE) fields
through the partnership with ACE Mentor program and the Chicago Architecture Foundation as
well as the chance to win scholarships and paid internships. Picture below provided by CAF.
Rahm Emanuel, City of Chicago Mayor
David Vitale, Board of Education President
Jesse Ruiz, Board of Education Vice-President
Henry Bienen, Board of Education Member
Dr. Mahalia Hines, Board of Education Member
Penny Pritzker, Board of Education Member
Rod Sierra, Board of Education Member
Andrea Zopp, Board of Education Member
Barbara Byrd-Bennett, Chicago Public Schools Chief Executive Officer
Akeshia Craven-Howell, Chicago Public Schools, Pathways to College and Careers, Officer
Veenu Verma, Chicago Public Schools, Pathways to College and Careers, Director
Susan Gann, Chicago Public Schools, Pathways to College and Careers, Senior Manager
Ayonna Marie Patterson, Chicago Public Schools, Pathways to College and Careers, Program Coordinator, C.T.E. Architecture Program
Chicago Chapter of American Institute of Architects Organization Description
Founded in 1869, the American Institute of Architects Chicago (AIA Chicago) is the largest
chapter of licensed architects, architectural interns, and allied professionals within AIA Illinois.
It is the second largest AIA chapter in the country. Of the 83,000 AIA members across the
country, over 3000 are in the Chicago chapter.
AIA Chicago is the local connection to others in and affiliated with the profession. AIA Chicago is
the grassroots effort that provides the best forum for sharing information, ideas, and resources.
Chapter boundaries include the city of Chicago and the northern lake shore of Cook County as
well as all of Lake and McHenry Counties. Through seminars, committees, a lecture series,
outreach programs and other Chapter programs, our members exchange professional
experiences and knowledge. The Chapter magazine,
Chicago Architect
, an electronic
newsletter, and quarterly calendar of events are key publications designed to inform you of the
Chapter’s activities and encourage your involvement in the AIA.
Zurich Esposito, Executive Vice President
Joan Pomaranc, Program Director
Ben Schulman, Communications Director
Steve Riforgiato, Membership Manager
Allison Garwood Freedland, Program Manager
Background:
Mattel, Inc. Barbie introduces a new career Barbie every year. In 2011, Mattel created Architect Barbie and the American Institute of Architects, “Barbie I can Be…Architect” workshop was born. National American Institute of Architects (AIA) saw it as an outreach opportunity to teach young girls about Architecture. The first workshop was implemented during the AIA National convention in 2011 in New Orleans for about 400 girls in the community. National AIA displayed the project that was done in New Orleans at the 2011 NOMA conference in Atlanta, GA.
I was so excited about how the program could reach young girls and introduce them to the profession I love. I knew immediately that I wanted to organize a program in Chicago, Illinois for Chicago Public School children.
The Chicago Public Schools, C.T.E. Architecture Program within the Office of Pathways to College and Careers helps to prepare high school students for college and careers in the field of Architecture. I manage this program. After learning about the workshop’s success at the 2011 Convention, I knew it would be a great tool to extend the reach of the C.T.E. Architecture program to a younger audience. To increase the awareness of architecture as a career choice for our high school students, it makes sense to expose our younger students to the field. “Barbie I Can Be….Architect” is a an engaging and fun introduction into the field of architecture.
“Barbie I Can Be….Architect” In Chicago, IL: Getting Started:
I reached out to the Chicago Chapter of the American Institute of Architects and formed a partnership for this program. I worked with staff member, Allison Garwood-Freedland, a representative from the 180 committee, a diversity initiative made up of Chicago Women in Architecture, Arquitectos, Illinois Chapter of the National Minority of Architects and AIA Chicago.
Our team reached out to the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) and the Illinois Institute of Technology for support and they provided the space to hold the workshops for the 260 girls that participated in the workshop.
The elementary schools that were invited to participate were either feeder schools into the C.T.E. Architecture program or schools that increased the level of diversity.
Keepsake invitations were provided to principals, counselors, teachers and architects in the community. The keepsake invitations
communicated to leaders that this was no ordinary event. While this event was fun and exciting, this was a serious event. This was an event that said to young girls, this is who you can be, if you choose.
The “Barbie I Can Be...Architect” workshop also offered current C.T.E. Architecture high school students who attended the workshops, the opportunity to
learn the dynamics of presentations and project management in a real time environment. For the workshops, the current students created a virtual walk through model of Barbie’s Malibu home for the girls, assisted with the workshop at each table, room set-up and checked in the girls from each elementary school.
Our high school students were excited about the give-back opportunities of the “Barbie I Can Be...Architect” Workshop.
The majority of the volunteers for the workshops were pulled from our partnering organizations to ensure a diverse group of practitioners participated. The students were divided into groups of 8 to 10. Each group was lead by a female licensed architect and assisted by an associate architect or intern who provided individualized interaction with our girls.
Two hundred and sixty Chicago Public School girls between the ages of 7 and 9, had the opportunity to interact with an architect during our “Barbie I Can Be...Architect” Workshop! The girls were excited about the opportunity to learn from a real architect in a fun and interesting way. Our girls not only learned about the first female architect recognized by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) over 125 years ago, they had the opportunity to ‘create’ their very own Dream House by drawing a floor plan.
The girls left the workshop with their individually created floor plan of their dream home, their own Architect Barbie donated by Mattel and a small bag of popcorn donated by Garrett Popcorn. Both events were filled with the spirit of joy and
excitement. Our girls were inspired to dream about what they can become! For more information on the documents that were referenced to create the workshop, you can visithttp://www.aia.org/about/initiatives/AIAB090027.
Dates and Times of the Event:
November 6, 2012: University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
November 8, 2012: Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), Crown Hall, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Notes on Location:
The workshop that was on November 8, 2012 was held at S.R. Crown Hall. Crown Hall was designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in 1956. The building is a National Historic Landmark.
Organizers:
• Chicago Public Schools, Office of Pathways to College and Careers, C.T.E. Architecture Program – Ayonna Marie Patterson
• The Chicago Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) – Allison Garwood-Freedland
• Illinois Chapter of National Organization of Minority Architects (INOMA) – Sharon Samuels
• Chicago Women in Architecture – Babette Scheidt • Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) – Amanda Williams • University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) – Jayne Kelley
Sponsors:
• Chicago Public Schools, Office of Pathways to College and Careers, C.T.E. Architecture Program • Mattel/Barbie • Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) • University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) • ACE Mentor Group • Chicago Architecture Foundation • Garrett Popcorn
Description of PowerPoint:
During the event there was a PowerPoint that was displayed on the wall and played throughout the workshop. The PowerPoint included the following:
1) A welcome
2) A 3D model of Barbie Malibu’s home built in Google Sketch-Up by a high school student in the C.T.E. Architecture program. This 3D model was built exclusively for the Chicago “Barbie I can Be…Architect” workshop. The 3D model walkthrough is shown in the picture below as the main slide.
3) Slides of presentation boards that were used at National AIA’s workshop that were provided in the toolkit online. The boards featured the first female architect and other famous architects.
4) A picture of a floor plan so that students could get an idea of what their finished product should look like. 5) A thank-you to the sponsors and organizers
Events of the Day: Included the following:
1) For an icebreaker, students drew their names on circles that were then put on the walls to decorate the space. 2) The girls were shown the slides of famous Architects via a PowerPoint presentation.
3) The girls created their own floor plan of their dream house with the help of an Architect volunteer.
4) The girls went on a tour of the school of Architecture. The tours were lead by volunteers of the host University. See picture below.
5) Local architect, Susan King shared an inspiring story about how she pretended to be an architect with her Barbie doll as a young girl.
6) Students hung up the floor plans of their Architect Barbie Dream houses on the walls of the space. 7) Lunch was provided in pink paper bags for each student.
8) All of the female Architects that attended the event as volunteers, stood in front of the room to be recognized. 9) All of the students received a goodie bag.
Volunteer Tracking and Planning:
We had an overwhelming response of interest and participation from volunteers. See image below and Page 16 for the volunteer sign-up list that was used to track volunteers.
“Barbie I Can Be….Architect” Attendee List
INVITED ELEMENTRARY SCHOOL
SCHOOL INFORMATION # Of
STUDENTS PARTICIPATED
DATE STATISTICS DEMOGRAPHICS
1. Drake http://www.drake.cps.k12.il.us/ 2722 S. King Dr., 60616 P: 773-534-9129 F: 773-534-9133 25 Nov. 6th 2. Robert A. Black http://www.blackmagnet.cps.k12.il.us/ 9101 S.Euclid Ave., 60619 P: 773-535-6390, 5-6394 F: 773-535-6047 25 Nov. 6th
3. Sir Miles Davis Magnet http://www.milesdavismagnet.org/ 6730 S. Paulina St. P: 773-535-9120 F: 773-535-9129 25 Nov. 8th 4. Beasley Elementary http://www.beasleyac.org/ 5255 S. State Street, 60609 773-535-1230 34 Nov. 6th
5. Minnie Mars Jamieson http://www.jamiesonschool.org/
5650 N. Mozart, 606059 P: 773-534-2395 F: 773-534-2579
25 Nov. 8th
6. Skinner West 1260 W. Adams, 60607
P: 773-534-7790 F: 773-534-7879 32 Nov. 8th 7. O’Toole http://www.lukeotoole.org/ 6550 S.Seeley Ave., 60636 P:773-535-9040 F: 773-535-9093 25 Nov. 6th 8. Libby http://www.libby.cps.k12.il.us/ 5338 S. Loomis Blvd, 60609 P: 773-535-9351 F: 773-535-9383 25 Nov. 8th 9. Sawyer http://www.sawyer.cps.k12.il.us/ 5248 S Sawyer Ave, 60632 P: 773-0440, 535-9275 F: 773-535-0445 26 Nov. 6th
10. Arthur Dixon Elementary Sch http://www.dixon.cps.k12.il.us/ 8306 S Saint Lawrence Ave, 60619 P: 535-3834 F: 773-535-3811 25 Nov. 8th
Statistics and Demographics of Students That Participated:
The above table shows the demographics and statistics from Chicago Public schools of the school’s that participated in the event. For more information on the schools, visit http://www.cps.edu/Schools/Find_a_school/Pages/Findaschool.aspx.
Marketing Materials:
The “Barbie I can be…Architect” workshop was shaping up to be a fun and practical way to learn about a career in architecture. Now the question was: how to communicate to
school leaders the essential ingredient the girls were to bring with them, “Excitement about their future careers”; how to communicate that the girls will be introduced to the world of architecture through the eyes of practicing women and how to generate sufficient RSVP for planning. Building on the legacy created in New Orleans, the Chicago team wanted the invitation to convey the magic and excitement the day would bring.
Invitation cards sealed with the CPS logo were crafted with the utmost care (image below) were sent to school leaders and potential volunteers. The cards reflected the importance of the event to ensure that School leaders knew instantly that this would be an event that they wanted the students at their school to participate in. Both e-mail (image on the right) and printed invitation cards (picture on pg. 14 and below) were sent to the principal, assistant principal, counselors and art teacher at each of the selected schools. The marketing campaign was so successful that all of the seats were filled. Two hundred and sixty girls from the selected schools RSVP’d within 10 days. Our success was bitter sweet however. Leaders were still trying to RSVP for their students after the event was filled. The most difficult and heart drenching part of the event was telling school leaders there was no more room for their girls.
Knowledge Gained From Experience:
From hosting this event l learned that there are a lot of different views on whether or not a student from the ages of 7 to 9 years old is greatly impacted by events on careers such as this one. I also learned that a lot of women in the Architecture community are eager to do work in the community especially as it relates to women in Architecture. Below is a picture of the students that participated in the event on November 8, 2012 and below is a picture of the floor plans the student’s created.
Demonstration of excitement before and during the event:
1) The above picture on the left shows a journal entry from a student that participated in the workshop that was held on November 8th. The journal entry shows that she was so excited about the event that she was counting down the days. 2) The marketing campaign was so successful that we were receiving request to attend the even after the event was
closed.
3) Amanda Williams from IIT was so excited about the project, that she requested a speaking opportunity for the dean of Architecture to talk to our girls about the educational aspect of becoming an architect.
4) The volunteers and parents shared with me saved stories of how the girls were pre paring for the workshop by dressing up and putting on pink jewelry.
5) During the events, whenever a question was asked, hands shot into the air with smiles, and excitement and laughter filled the room.
Thank you letters:
Directly below is a picture of the PDF letter from a parent of a daughter that participated. The picture on the bottom of the page is a screen shot of a email received from a Art teacher whose class participated.