Architects Giving Back to the Community: Clark*Nexsen Staff Recognized for Service in DC Public Schools

by Clark Nexsen Architecture

Four of Clark*Nexsen Architecture & Engineering's Washington, D.C. staff members were recognized on Wednesday, May 5 at the John A. Wilson Building for their volunteer efforts in the Washington Architectural Foundation's Architecture in Schools (AIS) program. Architectural interns Paul Collins, Steven Grossenbacher and Rachel Islin, along with interior designer Christina McEnroe, volunteered their time each week during the spring semester to teach basic architectural concepts to elementary school students at Imagine Hope Charter and M. V. Leckie Elementary Schools.

Clark*Nexsen, an established leader in providing architecture, interior design, engineering and planning services, had the most volunteers from one firm in the program this semester. The AIS program matches volunteer architects with public school teachers to enrich the learning experience of children in Washington, D.C.-area public schools. AIS teaches children how to exercise their analytical and creative skills through the architectural design process. "Our mission is architects serving the community," said Beth Judy, program manager for the Washington Architectural Foundation. Clark*Nexsen is really an outstanding example of that this semester. There were just over 50 volunteers from 24 firms that worked in 24 public schools in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia. All totaled, 600 students participated in the AIS program this spring. "Architecture in Schools was a great volunteer opportunity for Clark*Nexsen," said Grossenbacher. "The students were really excited to get involved with the projects every week, and they got a better understanding of how architects work in the field." Clark*Nexsen staff volunteered 60 to 90 minutes each Wednesday from January through April. Islin and Grossenbacher worked with Ashley Younger's sixth-grade math class at Imagine Hope Charter School. They taught the students about scale, volume and space planning. For their final project, they built a replica of the Capitol Building out of recycled materials and then conceptualized a new modern version. Collins and McEnroe taught pre-K students in Frann Robertson's class at M. V. Leckie Elementary about habitats and where people and animals live. The three and four-year-olds created frog, fish and bear habitats and put them together as one large cohesive habitat that stretched from water to land. The students' final projects were on display Wednesday at the John A. Wilson Building, home of Mayor Adrian Fenty's office. Students, teachers, family members, program directors and volunteers were on hand for the exhibit and recognition event. More than 8,000 D.C.-area public school students have been involved in the AIS program since it began in 1992. Clark*Nexsen Architecture & Engineering is an architecture, interior design, engineering and planning firm with offices in Washington D.C.; Norfolk, Richmond and Roanoke, Virginia; and Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina, Clark*Nexsen employs a staff of over 500 dedicated professionals, more than 165 of whom are LEED Accredited. Clark*Nexsen works to shape the future worldwide, and their focus remains constant: extraordinary effort to make projects work for their clients. For more information on Clark*Nexsen, visit www.clarknexsen.com.