Some Helix Charter High School students are working on building their careers before graduating.

More than a dozen Helix students are members of ACE, which is a free after-school program led by volunteer pros in the design and construction industry. The national program involves overall some 9,000 students from approximately 1,000 high schools with careers in architecture, engineering, construction and the skilled trades. There are 74 affiliates (chapters) operating in 36 states. Nearly 70% of ACE students study industry-related fields in college or enter a skilled trades training program.

ACE San Diego was founded in 2003 by a group of area architects, engineers and general contractors. For the 2020-21 school year before COVID began to fully emerge, the group included 11 local schools and some 120 students (low COVID year). In 2020, there was more than $100,000 in scholarships awarded to 50 students.

Helix’s ACE club consists of 15 to 20 students in grades 9 through 12. They meet one to two days a week after school. Emily Burrough is both an ACE team leader and Helix teacher.

“The students design, plan and build a project throughout the year with guidance from our mentors: volunteer architects, engineers, contractors and construction industry professionals, and our lead mentor, Racieli Andrada from Turner Construction,” Burrough commented. “In addition to meeting weekly, this year we went on field trips to IQHQ’s Research and Development District (RADD) that is being built on North Harbor Drive Downtown and had a behind-the-scenes tour of Snapdragon Stadium (Mission Valley) with hands-on experience with multiple construction trades at ACE San Diego’s Trades Day.”

According to Burrough, the culminating event of the year is the ACE student showcase in the spring at San Diego State University. The event involves ACE clubs from around the county presenting their projects and discussing learning. At the end of the event, ACE awards scholarships for exceptional junior and seniors who plan to study one of the ACE career paths in college.

The Helix High scholarship winners this year are Jesus Romero ($1,500), Isabella Reveles ($2,000), Elisa Reveles ($2,500), Lesly Vazquez ($2,500) and John Funk ($4,000).

“Each year, ACE gives the students a common theme around which to create their project,” Burrough continued. “This year, the theme was virtual. Helix students chose the Chase Bank lot on Spring Street (in La Mesa) as their building site and decided to create Vulcan Trades Academy (VTA).”

Burrough noted VTA is a place where people can meet to learn and practice myriad of trades. That would include medical (including physical therapy) and construction options like welding and circuitry. This is all done using virtual reality.

The construction project comes with challenges for students and faculty alike.

Helix High senior and project lead John Funk noted one challenge to overcome is, “Learning to think. A lot of students want to get a syllabus and have their hand hell without a lot of independent learning and they might not be good at planning. That’s the hard part: figuring out how to learn to be given an open-ended task and through ACE, we do a lot of open-ended research. Our mentors, especially Johnny Rivera (a civil engineering mentor from Fusion Engineering and Technology) don’t give us answers to our questions. Instead, he directs us to find the right answers ourselves.”

Helix High junior and engineering lead Marzia Dost commented, “One of the biggest challenges for students involved in a project like this, especially leads, is taking on a responsibility most of us have never experienced before. With the volume and complexity of some of the work we do, we have to learn to manage our time efficiently and delegate work to our team members, which is something most people don’t experience until they get into the workforce.”

As Burrough sees it, many students were already interested in architecture, engineering or the construction industry, including trades, when they began spending time in the club.

“For most of them, the interactions with our mentor industry professionals and the hands-on learning have cemented (no pun intended) their interest in pursuing these fields,” Burrough remarked. “Of our graduating seniors this year, all are going to California universities or community colleges to study engineering. Our juniors are all currently interested in engineering or architecture.”

When it comes to the students, making the most of these opportunities is key.

“A lot of students don’t realize that the mentors aren’t there to teach you everything, but they are there to help us to think or make decisions like an engineer or architect,” Funk commented. “What I mean is to think about these things that most of us take for granted, like drainage. For example, with drainage, we might think it’s just a thing that catches water on a site, but you can’t put it just anywhere. You need to contact the city and put it closest to a storm drain. Most people wouldn’t think about that.”

According to Dost, if you’re thinking of joining ACE, simply do it.

“There is something for everyone, and even if you aren’t interested in these fields, you will learn valuable skills in teamwork and discipline,” Dost stated. “As much as we have fun though, ACE requires responsibility for all members. We all have to work diligently and keep our word to ensure we meet deadlines and always work towards our full potential. Ensure that you are able to efficiently manage your time and other responsibilities.”

ACE Club is open to any Helix Charter High School student interested in learning more about architecture, construction or engineering.

Photo by Danicka Markey

– Reach editor Dave Thomas at d[email protected].