Are you an architect, engineer, contractor, or an emerging design professional interested in sharing your passion? You can view your world through the fresh eyes of elementary school students as you develop their awareness, encourage their involvement and give them a greater understanding of their environment through our Architects in Schools program. Volunteer design professionals tell us this is the best thing they could do to re-instill vigor and enthusiasm into their practice.

Architects in Schools (AiS) is a free statewide six-week residency program for elementary schools, and is afo’s longest-running, signature program. Under afo, the program has grown from annually serving 800 to more than 3,800 students in the Portland metropolitan area, Central Oregon, Salem, Eugene, Medford and Ashland.

THIS IS WHY WE NEED YOUR HELP!

Every year we have more schools applying to our program because they say it has a tremendous impact on their students. As student participation increases exponentially, our demand for design professionals continues to rise. We would like to continue to expand AiS to reach more students in more areas in Oregon and can do so with your help as a volunteer design professional. 

DON'T MISS THE DEADLINE & APPLY TODAY

Application Information

Design Professional Application - Deadline: September 23, 2016

School Application - Deadline: October 7, 2016

Architecture Student Application - Deadline: October 14, 2016

Design professionals will be paired with a classroom teacher for six school visits through the Spring, culminating in public exhibition of student work in May and June. Training will take place in late Fall and early winter; dates for each city are listed here on page 4.

For more information visit www.af-oregon.org/programs/architects-in-schools or contact Candice, 503.542.3823|candice@af-oregon.org 

Design Professional Michael Riscica on his experience with AiS

"Each time I showed up feeling a little nervous and walked out feeling like a hero and immediately started looking forward to the next visit. They must have asked me a thousand questions about Architecture, my job and my life. Right away I felt how important it was to the kids that I was there each week." Read more

Article in Ashland Daily Tidings on AiS in Helman Elementary classrooms

"…it’s doubtful that many architects working today have endured a baptism of fire as severe as the one recently thrust upon Helman Elementary third-grader Alexa Lee, whose first client was a dragon named Tom whose eccentric tastes and exotic requests would make Frank Lloyd Wright’s ghost run for cover… 'I decided to put different rooms in here and then squish them together,' said Lee, 8, as she sketched in a few tweaks Monday afternoon. 'Its name is 'House.' I tried to draw (Tom) but I can’t so I just put a smiley face there." Read more

Design professional Keith Knowles on his experience with AiS

"I work with children through the Architects in Schools program to help them understand the importance of good design for our community and our environment... This last year, in my son’s fourth grade class, we learned how Native Americans designed their dwellings and communities around their food source... We applied principles of design, architecture and sustainability to enhance their experience with learnings about the Oregon Trail."