Representatives from the Burlington High School ACE Academy participated in the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association (ITEEA) Conference at the Wisconsin Center in Milwaukee on March 26th and 27th. BHS ACE Coordinator, Peter Leedle, was joined by students Jacob Gardner, Nathan Larson and Alex Dunn to exhibit at the conference and communicate the success story of the program at Burlington Area High School.
ITEEA is a nonprofit professional organization created in 1939 as the American Industrial Arts Association to support the study of the industrial arts in schools. That focus has shifted with the advancement of technology and the changing nature of industrial world to a mission of promoting technological literacy and innovation for all students through professionalism in the teaching and learning about technology and engineering.
The ACE (Architecture, Construction & Engineering) Academy at Burlington High School is a program that integrates academics with technology education in construction related fields, identifying the relevance of one to the other, and thereby improving student understanding and retention. Burlington was the pilot site for the program established in 2005 with the AGC of Wisconsin and its then President, Peter Scherrer of The Peter Scherrer Group in Burlington. The Burlington Academy now has a current enrollment of 46 team members and an all time high enrollment of 60 students for the 2015-2016 school year. The success of the “Academy Approach” has been realized State-wide with over 2,000 students participating in programs now in Fond du Lac, Kimberly, La Crosse, Marshfield and Tomah as well as Burlington. Participation in the Academy includes an application process that has GPA and attendance requirements. Required courses include various Math, English and Economics courses as well as Principles of Building Trades, Engineering & Architecture, and Business Principles. Graduates of the program have an opportunity to earn a Certificate from the AGC of Wisconsin ACE Academy and will be prepared to pursue employment opportunities in the ACE industries through apprenticeship programs or pursue further college education at the technical college or university level.
Participation of Burlington ACE Academy in the ITEEA was funded by Gateway Technical College, The AGC of Wisconsin, and The Peter Scherrer Group.