Architects Needed This Spring!

FEBRUARY, 2008 - Our Architecture Adventure program is growing by leaps and bounds! - Deb Abrahamson, Executive Director, Oak Park Education Foundation

Architects, engineers, construction professionals: Are you interested in volunteering to work directly with students and teachers in District 97 classrooms, leading a hands-on project that teaches students about design and construction?

The Oak Park Education Foundation (oakparkeducationfoundation.org) is looking for professionals to join its growing Architecture Adventure program!

Vex Robotics: Building Better Bots!

JANUARY, 2008 - by Deb Abrahamson, Executive Director, Oak Park Education Foundation

The Oak Park Education Foundation has expanded and improved its Vex Robotics Teams at both Julian and Brooks this year.

Thanks to donations from individuals and a grant from the Community Foundation of Oak Park & River Forest, our teams of 6^th, 7^th and 8^th graders have additional robotics kits, software and hardware. And thanks to enthusiastic parents and teachers, we now have more adult helpers and improved programming capabilities for more sophisticated robots.

Want to see the Brooks and Julian robots in action, created and controlled by middle school students? Come to the Julian/Brooks competition on Thursday, April 3, 7 pm in the Brooks gym. Teams will compete on large, elaborate playing fields in games called "Marble Madness." In addition to the student-controlled bots, this year they'll compete with autonomous robots that they have programmed to navigate mazes.

Questions about Vex Robotics? Call the Oak Park Education Foundation at (708) 524-3023, or go to oakparkeducationfoundation.org.

Global Village in the Schools

DECEMBER, 2007 - This month we're featuring the Oak Park Education Foundation's Global Village program. Watch for an update on Vex Robotics in next month's newsletter! - Deb Abrahamson, Executive Director, Oak Park Education Foundation

Global Village pairs scientists from Chicago's leading institutions with students and teachers in grades 3-8 during science classes. Scientists conduct experiments and lead field trips. OPEF contributes $9,640 to this program each year. Projects include:

• Dissecting sheep's brains
• Using a loudspeaker with a cutaway woofer to study sound waves
• Freezing bananas and use them as hammers to see how liquid nitrogen works
• Studying ocean currents and sharks
• Building and launching rockets
• Building and launching rockets

Architecture Adventure After-School Clubs

If your middle schoolers are curious about why buildings look a certain way or how the interior of a space might change their mood, we have a club for them! The Oak Park Education Foundation is running an after school Architecture Adventure Club at both middle schools, Julian in Febuary (T & Th 3:30-5:00), and Brooks in April (T & Th 3:30-5:00).

Junior architects will learn to use hand drafting tools by designing a floor plan and elevations for a room of their own. After the designs are completed, kids will build a model of their space with architectural model-making materials and tools. They will have the unique experience of participating in a jury with professional architects and engineers.

All architectural tools are provided by Architecture Adventure and the Oak Park Education Foundation. There will be a $15 materials fee; scholarships are available. For more information, contact Adrienne McMullen at:

Thank you to our Principals!

Thank you to all 10 District 97 Principals for their generous personal contributions to the Oak Park Education Foundation! Our principals have been modeling in-district philanthropy since the beginning of OPEF and we are truly grateful for their educational and financial support.

Art Start and Architeture Adventure in the schools

NOVEMBER, 2007 - This month we're featuring 2 Oak Park Education Foundation programs. Watch for information on Vex Robotics and Global Village in next month's newsletter! - Deb Abrahamson, Executive Director, Oak Park Education Foundation

Art Start visiting artists work with grades K, 1 or 2 during the school day. OPEF fully funds this program for $25,000/year.

Exciting projects around district K, 1 and 2 classes include: Harmonica and drumming lessons, yoga and dance classes, and camouflage studies using water color, dry media and collage. A special project for 5th graders involves sculpture tiling based on the Niki in the Garden exhibit at the Garfield Park Conservatory. Coming soon in your child's backpack: an OPEF newsletter all about Art Start.

Architecture Adventure brings visiting architects, engineers and designers into fine and applied arts classrooms district-wide. OPEF fully funds this program for $28,600/year.

Cool projects around the district include: home design and remodeling presented to a jury of working architects, design and creation of life-size chess pieces in the form of significant Oak Park and Chicago buildings, and mosaic and stained glass murals for permanent installation in schools.

We are looking for additional architects, engineers, designers and construction professionals to work with students on these and other exciting projects. Contact your school's PTO Liaison Link (contact information below) or Architecture Adventure program coordinator Adrienne McMullen at

We are thrilled to have an energetic new connection to the schools this year, our PTO Liaison Links. Please contact them with ideas or questions about OPEF: [Hatch's OPEF liaison is Mary Cavanaugh].