Denver
About Us
ACE Mentor Program of Colorado serves high school young people who want to explore careers in architecture, construction and engineering. Throughout the year, the ACE program, which meets two hours per week for 17 weeks, introduces participants to building industry professions by having them plan and design mock projects on real sites and work with professionals in the design and build industries. Students also have the opportunity to work with graduate students from the University of Colorado at Denver (UCD). UCD students earn credit hours toward their degrees by participating in the program as mentors.
ACE in Denver has worked with 350 students in 10 high schools and awarded more than $300,000 in scholarships. We are looking forward to expanding our program in the 2010-2011 season as we add Aurora Public Schools to our list of school districts which currently include: Denver Public Schools, Jefferson County Public Schools and the Cherry Creek School District.
2010 Dollars for Scholars
ACE of Colorado in Denver hosted its annual ‘Dollars for Scholars’ fundraising event on May 12th and once again it proved to be a great success. With twelve students honored and sixty five thousand dollars in scholarships awarded, ACE delivered on its promise to help students pursue their ambitions of entering into the architecture, construction and engineering industries. The ACE students recognized this year include:
Sarah - Grandview High School
Lane - Green Mountain High School
Luan - Smoky Hill High School
Josh - Green Mountain High School
Daniel - J.F. Kennedy High School
Kyle - Smoky Hill High School
Ryan - Grandview High School
Anjali - Alameda High School
Margaret - Denver East High School
Tori - P.S. 1 Charter School
Gregory - Denver School of Science and Technology
Marin - Smoky Hill High School
Congratulations to all the recipients. Thank you to our sponsors for helping ACE students achieve their goals, including Lindquist & Vennum, Forest City Stapleton, PCL Construction, Richmond American Homes Foundation and the many other companies who contributed. Another thank you goes to over 75 industry mentors and volunteers who contributed their time, commitment and energy to this year’s program.
Not only did the ACE students succeed here in Denver, but two seniors from Green Mountain High School in Lakewood won first place in the ACE National Design Competition. Students Lane Brugman and Kristin Bayley redesigned Green Mountain High to take advantage of their view of the Denver skyline, include sustainable features and increase students’ pride in their school. With nineteen teams participating in the competition, mentors Nate Talocco of Valley Crest and Ellen Pickels of Norris Design were extremely proud of their students’ national win.
We look forward to seeing our students, mentors and sponsors return for another exciting year in 2011 and send our best wishes to all the students who will be attending college in the fall. We hope to see them go on to become leaders in the industry and eagerly anticipate the next generation of ACE mentors-in-the-making.
Thank you again to everyone for another successful year.
How ACE Works
ACE is made up of affiliates that serve youth within a certain city or region. Each affiliate has a board of directors, a local coordinator, and a number of teams.
Teams are composed of 10-25 students and their industry mentors. Each team is set up to emulate an actual design team, with students guided through a mock design project by their architect, engineer, and construction management mentors. Several companies will be assigned to each team, each providing one or two mentors. Mentors guide the students as they work towards a final project, introducing them to the careers, industry vocabulary, and various roles companies play in the construction industry.
The ACE Program with the students runs from January to early May. A few kick off events occur in October/November. The teams meet for approximately 15-17 sessions, for two hours after school. In addition to these team sessions, there are also activities such as office visits and field trips to construction sites.
Each team meets on a specific day of the week, with varying meeting locations where possible. The meetings are held either in schools or at the offices of the firms to give the students as authentic an experience as possible. Transportation to and from the meetings is generally the responsibility of the students. Should transportation become an issue, meetings take place at the local high school that sponsors the students.
At the end of the year, all of the teams, in each location, gather for a final presentation night. Here they present their designs to other teams, their families, teachers, prospective mentors and the affiliate administrators so all can share in the students' accomplishments.
The students' involvement in the program does not end here, though. Many remain active alumni of the program through the scholarships they receive, relationships they develop with their mentors, and future employment opportunities they exercise — such as internships and post-college jobs.
What is my firm’s commitment?
The main commitment a company makes is empowering its staff to give time to the ACE Mentor Program. Teams meet in an after-school setting during the school year. A total of 15 – 17 two-hour sessions are held at either the school or the offices of the mentors. Additional time may be necessary to organize for a mentoring session. In addition to mentors, the program also needs additional volunteers, who assist in coordination of the program, events, and fundraising.
What happens during the season?
There are several types of activities that may take place during the season.
• Mentoring sessions with the students where they are introduced to a segment of the industry and complete activities
• Field trips
• Special speaker presentations
• Project development – each team must conceptualize, design, and create a project
• Final presentations – student from each team gather together to present their projects to each other, parents, teachers, and industry leaders
• Scholarships presentation events
• Scholarship fundraisers
• Networking events for volunteers
What qualities make a good mentor?
Mentors are dedicated professionals who are passionate about what they do and want to share that with the next generation of the industry’s workforce. Ideal qualities for a mentor are enthusiasm and the ability to develop a rapport with the students.
Young mentors often can relate to the students more readily, but mentors of all ages have been very successful. Also, the closer the diversity of the mentors matches that of the students, the easier it will be to form strong relationships.
Flexibility is also a key quality for mentors. Many students who participate in the program are athletes, musicians, and often times hold down a part time job in addition to participating in the program. Understanding that students may not attend every session is important.
What are the benefits to my company?
Besides feeding the pipeline with the next generation of construction industry workforce, your company will benefit from its involvement with ACE.
The program:
• Enhances your company image, within the industry and also the community
• Provides networking opportunities, for both mentors and principals
• Connects your firm to talented and motivated part-time help and to potential future employees
• Enhances young professionals presentation and communication skills
• Creates an opportunity to “give back” to your community and to your industry
ACE in 2010
Spring 2010 was the seventh year of the ACE Mentor Program in Denver.
This year, the program served the following schools:
• Academy of Urban Learning
• East High School
• Denver School of Science and Technology
• PS1
• Alameda High School
• Green Mountain High School
• CEC Middle College
• Kennedy High School
• Smoky Hill High School
• Grandview High School
Many of the students participating in this program might never have considered attending college or trade school. The opportunity to gain scholarship funds through ACE makes higher education a real option for many of these students. Each graduating senior is given the opportunity to apply for an ACE Mentor Program scholarship and the board of directors elects the scholarship winners. In seven years, the ACE Mentor Program in Denver has awarded over $300,000 in scholarships to 66 students.
How can my company join an established ACE program?
Please contact the Program Director at denverco@acementor.org
Mentors and Sponsors
