The year 2002 marked the end of a small impact into the talent of tomorrow.

After seven rewarding years, the high school program, ?EUR??,,????'??Drawing the Way to the Classroom,?EUR??,,????'?? has come to a close. I started the 140 acre community design project back in 1995 to challenge high school juniors and seniors interested in a career involving site design. The primary reason for starting the program was to offer a chance for students to test their skills and interest in designing a mixed-use neighborhood, and to help them verify if this career is what they want to pursue before entering college.

Professionals such as Landscape Architects, Civil Engineers, Planners, and Architects are the primary site designers but are rarely recognized at the high school level. This program provided exposure of these professions to individuals who normally would not be offered this instruction until secondary school.

The challenge was to master plan a 140-acre parcel showing roads, housing, commercial areas, office buildings, parks, and other related land uses. Criteria for the design was specific, such as access points from adjacent properties and preservation of significant ecological elements, but mostly the talented designers came up with their own unique layout. The group then met about once a month to review each other?EUR??,,????'???s progress and to gain insight about refining their design.

The program finally came to a conclusion in mid March when the final drawings were presented in front of a design jury. These professionals not only provided helpful comments to each student, but also identified the top design that received the Award of Excellence. Each participant that completed the demanding program received an Award of Merit, recommendation letter, photos of their project, an achievement letter to their school?EUR??,,????'???s principal, and an article to their local newspaper.

Twenty-seven individuals, ranging from Moorhead, New Ulm, Rochester, Duluth, and many cities in-between, completed the program. The program was sponsored by the Minnesota Academic Excellence Foundation and was listed in their publication, Reaching for the Stars. I also extend my gratitude toward my employer, URS Corporation (formally, BRW, Inc.), for providing their resources that made this program a success.

Paul Schroeder is the Founder and Director of Drawing the Way to the Classroom