Frederick
About Us
A partnership between Bechtel Corporation, Frederick County Public Schools and ACE, ACE Frederick’s program is open to any high school student interested in learning more about a career in the building industry.
The program runs during the school year. Meetings are held every two weeks on Wednesdays from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at one of the sponsoring companies, such as Bechtel.
The heart of this program is its focus on projects that simulate real-world situations. Through these projects, teams of students under the mentorship of industry professionals transform their ideas from abstract concepts into concrete solutions.
The result is a comprehensive "everyday" look at what architects, engineers, and contractors do to create the kinds of buildings in which we live, work, and play.
Started in 2005-2006 with 36 students on three teams, the program grew last year to 40 students and four teams. One of the teams, consisting of second-year participants, won honorable mention in ACE’s national design challenge. The 2007-2008 program began with our 50 students on five teams
Our Sessions
During our 2007-2008 program year, ACE Frederick’s sessions include construction; estimating; interior design; landscape architecture; project management; public speaking; scheduling; surveying and; chemical, civil, electrical, industrial, mechanical, nuclear, structural, piping, and structural engineering.
Special sessions throughout the year included a college fair; attended by colleges from Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Also scheduled is a college panel session including former ACE students. A field trip was taken to the new Frederick News Post Facility
Our Team Projects
During our 2006-2007 program year, ACE Frederick’s projects included an indoor extreme adventure park, a community center and an Italian restaurant. For each project, the student team responded to a list of requirements provided by local “clients.”
During the early part of the 15-session program, the teams visited a construction site, heard talks by industry experts and worked with guest mentors. They then created detailed architectural drawings, construction schedules, equipment and labor lists, budgets and other materials necessary to define and articulate their project solutions.
At the end of the program, the teams presented their solutions at an awards ceremony attended by local business, government and educational leaders; students’ families and friends; and teachers, counselors and mentors.
At the ceremony, over $23,000 in scholarships were awarded to nine seniors. In addition, three juniors received laptop computers in recognition of their outstanding team contributions, while another student earned a chance to attend a three-week summer program at the University of Maryland’s School of Architecture.
Participate in ACE!
If you’d like to experience ACE’s challenges, opportunities and rewards for yourself, just contact the ACE leader listed in the upper right-hand corner of this page.
