Student Outreach and Mentoring

APTNE is proud to support local non-profit organizations that focus on developing the next generation of architects, engineers, educators, contractors, conservators, advocates, and artists who will preserve our built environment. Our community of preservation students and professionals volunteer their time throughout the year to share different career paths and perspectives with student interested in sustainable preservation throughout the northeast. Take a look at some of the student outreach programs APTNE has supported in 2022!

 Children’s Preservation Book Donation (December 2022-present)

In an ongoing effort to expose a broader range of young readers to the field of preservation, APTNE donated sets of children’s books to several public school libraries in the Greater Boston area. A summary of how each book in the set demonstrates a foundational preservation topic/concept is provided to the school libraries along with the donation, and can be found here: Preservation Book List

Current recipients of APTNE’s Children’s Preservation Book Donation include:

• Phineas Bates Elementary School (Boston, MA)
• Charles Sumner Elementary School (Boston, MA)
• Boston Renaissance Public Charter Elementary School (Boston, MA)
• Potter Road Elementary School (Framingham, MA)

APTNE plans to continue updating the preservation book list and donating similar book sets to public elementary schools throughout New England in 2023. Let us know if you have K-5 preservation book suggestions or would like to nominate a local elementary school to receive a free preservation book set!

Worcester Girls Inc. Dream Home Project (July 2022)

APT Northeast is proud to be the Girls Inc. 2022 Community Partner of the Year and to have partnered with Girls Inc. Eureka JV program again this year to discuss the impact of the built environment through a hands-on project that encourages young ladies to be strong, smart and bold!

This project allows middle school students to take on the role of owner, architect, engineer, preservationist, and #contractor as they turn their visions into physical models using anything in their kits! Thank you to professional volunteers Jean Carroon, Lama Bitar, Meika Hayles, Kate Carpenter Bernier, Blair Stratman, and Kasey Mearls for making this year’s project a huge success!

Virtual Career Panel with ACE Mentoring of New York (April 2022)

On April 25th at 4pm APTNE board members Helena Currie, James Norberg, Brigitte Cook AIA, LEED AP, and Corey Spitzer led a presentation and discussing what the field is and how to enter it. The presentation explored how the built environment communicates and supports our collective community values, and introduced students to the range of careers involved in sustainable preservation projects.

Boston Science Club for Girls’ Architectural Engineering Virtual Program (April 2022)

During the virtual program, twenty students explored how the #builtenvironment reflects our #communityvalues, and discovered how buildings can be preserved, modified, or re-imagined to better meet current community needs.

Using “kits” filled with architectural model building materials, students created model “Dream Homes” that were structurally sound and communicated something significant about their lives and/or their community. Students were introduced to different preservation careers and perspectives through discussions with APTNE professional affiliates Helena Currie, Trish Palmiere, Adrienne Cali, Meika Hayles and Elaine Stoked.

Interested in Becoming Involved?

Reach out to Helena Currie if you are interested in becoming an APTNE Student Mentor and Volunteer, or if you have ideas for future outreach initiatives!

Future Outreach Project Ideas

APTNE is currently looking for K-5 grade level books that help expose children to concepts of sustainably preserving and appreciating the built world around them. Our goal is to identify a small preservation book collection that can be donated to local schools annually. Please submit any children’s books to ideas to Olga Hathaway and Michelle Dalhoff by emailing them at [email protected].