Madam Speaker, on April 26th, 2010 a team of high school students from Green Mountain High school in Lakewood, Colorado successfully competed as one of three finalists in the Fourth Annual CIRT-ACE National Design Competition, and I am…
Madam Speaker, on April 26th, 2010 a team of high school students from Green Mountain High school in Lakewood, Colorado successfully competed as one of three finalists in the Fourth Annual CIRT-ACE National Design Competition, and I am proud to say won. Cosponsored by the Construction Industry Round Table, this competition recognizes students participating in the ACE Mentor Program of America for their creativity and character; and their design projects for their innovation, cost, and constructability.
The team from Lakewood was selected from among their peers for its outstanding design of an ideal school. They have worked hard and enthusiastically over the past school year to develop a practical construction project that reflects real-world skills and concepts. I would like to congratulate students Kristin Bayley and Lane Brugman as well as their mentors Nate Talocco and Angela Talocco.
The ACE Mentor of America was founded in 1994 by leading firms of the integrated construction industry as a mentoring and workforce pipeline to attract youth to pursue careers in architecture, construction and engineering fields. ACE's mission is not only to expose high school students to career opportunities, but also to encourage students to pursue the necessary secondary and post-secondary education. According to a recent survey of alumni of the ACE program, nine in ten of ACE graduates enter a post-secondary institution. The large majority of ACE students come from low-income, minority families.
At the heart of ACE's highly effective program model is a unique partnership between industry professionals who volunteer their time as mentors and the enthusiastic young people who learn all aspects of the integrated construction professions. Today 1,800 ACE mentors engage 8,000 students in more than 190 cities and communities across the nation.
The winning team from Lakewood embodies the love of education, teamwork and dedication to success that ACE hopes to infuse in all their participants and today I rise to recognize, and direct my colleague's attention to, these future leaders.