June 28, 2022 Local High School Students, Teacher Recognized by ACE Mentor Program of Greater Knoxville

The ACE Mentor Program of Greater Knoxville recently announced student scholarships and a local teacher award. The regional program, founded in part by the College of Architecture and Design along with other UT colleges and community organizations, is part of the national ACE Mentor Program, which connects high school students across the country with hands-on exposure to the fields of architecture, construction and engineering. Locally, three high schools are participating in the ACE program, including the inaugural member, South-Doyle High School in Knox County; Fulton High School in Knox County; and Clayton-Bradley Academy in Blount County.

Each year, the Greater Knoxville chapter, along with the national organization, awards scholarships to students who participate in the ACE program at their high schools and who intend to earn a degree or train in one of the three fields. During the May 20, 2022, awards celebration in Knoxville, Madison Collier, a student at South-Doyle High School, received the Healthcare Association of America Scholarship, a $5,000 award. Noah Carr, a student at South-Doyle High School, received the Clayton Scholarship, a $3,000 award.

Students receiving “Student of the Year” awards from their respective schools include these:

• Mary Campbell Doss, Clayton-Bradley Academy
• Anne Elliott, South-Doyle High School
• Trey Morse, Clayton-Bradley Academy
• Edwin Rosales Rodriguez, South-Doyle High School
• Alexandria Russell, Fulton High School
• Victoria Sax, Fulton High School

Additionally, the ACE Mentor Program of Greater Knoxville recognized Jeff Bryant of South-Doyle High School with the inaugural “Mentor of the Year” award. Bryant was instrumental in initiating the program at SDHS and taught the ACE curriculum after school since 2018. Bryant also serves on the board of directors for ACE Mentor Program of Greater Knoxville and has been key in helping other schools adopt the program. Presenting the award to Bryant was Ava Davis, a student in the first ACE class at SDHS and now a student in the UT College of Architecture and Design.

At the awards celebration, ACE students displayed designs and models they had created in the program throughout the school year. The work included physically built models of houses, sites and bridges; numerous construction drawings, displays of information; and much more. Through the ACE curriculum and with local professionals who serve as mentors, students learn about the fundamentals of architecture, construction and engineering and conceptually apply them to a chosen site in the local area.

The ACE Mentor Program relies on financial and mentorship support from local companies. The platinum donors of the Greater Knoxville chapter’s awards celebration were Clayton and HCA Healthcare; gold donors were Builders Exchange of Tennessee and Cope Architecture, and silver donors were McCarty Holsaple McCarty Architects and Interior Designers and Trane Technologies. See the full list of donors.

Additionally, during the evening, close to $700 was raised from onsite donations. All financial support is used to fund the ACE Mentor Program of Greater Knoxville including scholarships, materials for student development, as well as student activities. In just over three years, the ACE Mentor Program of Greater Knoxville has awarded more than $25,000 in scholarships to deserving students.

In 2019, the Greater Knoxville chapter was launched through the efforts of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, College of Architecture and Design along with Tickle College of Engineering and the Institute of Agriculture Construction Science program, along with Knox County Schools and other organizations.

The ACE Mentor Program of Greater Knoxville will continue to add to its roster of participating schools, and any high school in the area interested in adopting the program for its students can contact board of directors’ president, Sherry Ault, Founder/CEO of S2A Integration, sherry@s2aintegration.com

The ACE Mentor Program of America was founded in 1994 by the integrated design and construction industry to meet its future workforce needs. Today, ACE’s 75 affiliates (chapters) operate in 38 states. ACE relies on more than 4,100 mentors across the U.S. who serve more than 10,000 students, 2/3 of whom come from minority and underserved communities. Each year, ACE awards close to $2.5 million in scholarships.