ACE MENTOR PROGRAM

Attention all high school juniors and seniors.  Now is the time to sign up for Williamson County Schools' ACE Mentor Program.  ACE is an after-school program for Tennessee high-school juniors and seniors who are interested in learning more about careers in architecture, construction management or engineering.  

ACE is made up of design and construction companies that team together and "adopt" a group of ten to fifteen students for the duration of a school year.  The teams are organized like a real life construction project, so a team may include a corporate "owner", an architecture firm, a construction company and an engineering firm.  The mentors are successful designers and contractors, who can give each student a taste of what it is like to work in these fields.

Throughout the course of the school year, the students will work with their mentors to develop a program that is tailored to the students' interests.  The students will typically meet with their mentor every two weeks for two hours after school, at various locations in the Nashville and Williamson County area. Sessions might include hands-on activities, office tours, and field trips. 

The students will eventually be challenged with designing a conceptual project.  The students will be in charge of creating drawings, models or presentation boards.  In April 2009, the team will give a presentation of its work, to which parents and teachers will be invited.  Students who successfully participate in the ACE program may be eligible for an ACE Scholarship. 

The ACE teams will start in September 2008, so sign up soon.  The deadline is September 5.  For additional information regarding ACE and to apply on line, log on to the ACE web site at www.acementor.org.  You may also direct your questions to Jackie Baggett, Coordinator for Career and Technical Education, Williamson County Schools at 472-4071 or jackieb1@wcs.edu.

In order to join the ACE Mentor Program students must:

• Either be a junior or senior

• Have a GPA of at least 2.5

• Have their parents' permission

• Have no school disciplinary issues

• Want to explore careers in architecture, construction management or building-related engineering

• Be committed to attend the meetings regularly