(continued)

Sponsoring CHAD as its Legacy 2000 project is the Philadelphia chapter of the American Institute of Architects. The AIA provides a board of directors, faculty for the drawing and creative projects, and assistance with the very necessary fundraising

Board member and architect George T. Manos said the mandate of the school was to attract more minorities and women to an interest in architecture and design. He said these fields are often "not considered as viable career choices for minority groups. We are doing what we can to change that."

"Right now there are only 98 African-American women who are registered architects in the country," he said.

Celebrating the First Year

Last month, CHAD celebrated its first anniversary, with the local AIA chapter acting as a proud parent. At a reception, students in their uniforms of light blue blouses or shirts and khaki pants or skirts led the architects and guests through the halls of the former government offices that had been turned into a school.

John Hayes Jr., an architect and former AIA chapter president, is chairman of the CHAD board of trustees that includes fellow AIA members Manos, John Egan, and Richard Bartholomew.

Hayes advised visitors at the anniversary gathering to "look around and see how far we have come in 18 months."

He said when the school began, in September, 1999, none of the AIA members or educators realized how much was involved in the formation of a new school. This despite the fact that the passage of the Pennsylvania Charter School Act meant that numerous charter schools were forming throughout the city. The School closed for three months and students returned to their neighborhood schools while the organizers perfected their plans.

Hayes said the school now has students in four grades, and "we can step back and think about what we are doing and how to strengthen an already strong curriculum." The enrollment cap will be 400.

The 17 faculty members who teach basic courses are certified teachers who are hired for their ability to work in this unique setting. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania provides most of the funding for the school on a per-student basis, as specified in recent charter school legislation. Parents and groups organize fundraisers and seek additional donations.

The students are mainly African American, drawn from the Philadelphia public school general population. There are also students from private, parochial, and suburban schools attracted by the promise of an education aimed at individuals who are visually oriented and who learn by seeing rather than by memorizing facts.

The proportion of nonminority students is rising and it is assumed that eventually the school's population will mirror that of the city with a 60-40 ratio of whites to minorities.

A Tour of CHAD

As part of the anniversary celebration, Principal Greg Amiriantz conducted tours through the school and showed guests his small office with white walls and a bright blue rug.

Amiriantz, who came to the school from 20 years as a principal and administrator in adjacent New Jersey, is obviously proud of the school and his position, which he refers to as "a highlight" in his career.

The school occupies 26,000 square feet (2400 square meters) of space, with large windows, on the first floor of the former office building. This past summer, a computer laboratory and a cafeteria that doubles as a meeting room were added.

Near one of the entrances, a large hall is filled with computers on which the students learn computer-aided design; another large room with drawing tables is for the two-hour drawing class required of every student.

Light and airy classrooms for English, math, and other subjects are suited for classes of about 20 students. In the halls, the customary rows of lockers are interrupted by occasional glass-windowed display cabinets. In these little alcoves, student sculpture surprises the visitor and breaks up the monotony of rows of white lockers.

An Unusual Educational Experience

"We are not trying to offer professional architectural education," Amiriantz says, "We are offering a different way of looking at the world and directing ourselves toward students who are visually oriented.

"All of the classes are related each year so a student would learn art, history, and math related to the same period and to creating something tangible. For instance in geometry class, they make physical models."

Amiriantz says that potential students are interviewed, along with their parents. "Some of the applicants or parents volunteer (after the interview) that the school is not for them and they withdraw."

He notes that one of the satisfying moments for him is when passers-by see the students in their khaki and blue uniforms and ask if this is a private school. "They cannot believe that students in a public school can be so well behaved and involved in what they are doing."

According to faculty chairman and English teacher Brian Nelson, students are taught in a way that makes learning easier for visually oriented students. The result is that students who might not do well in a traditional curriculum often earn high grades at CHAD.

"We draw more in geometry class, we read literature of the same period that we are studying in history class," Nelson explains. "In the environmental studies class, we go out and observe what we are discussing. Of course, the students take the same midterms and finals mandated by the Commonwealth." The faculty meet every week and discuss ways of improving the curriculum.

Though no one knows what direction the students will choose when they graduate, it is safe to say that most will go on to college and that some of them may choose architecture as a career.

Diane M. Fiske is an architecture writer in Philadelphia.

Hard at work at CHAD are students (from left) Jerry Bradford, Crystal Cannady, and Brandon Howie. Photo: Barbara Allen A pencil drawing by Stephan Race, from a class by Alberto Beltre Photo: Barbara Allen Student Jabriel Elamin building a model in Alberto Beltre's 3D design class. Photo: Barbara Allen A pencil drawing by Ronnie Grissom, from a class by Alberto Beltre. Photo: Barbara Allen Calvin Witherspoon building a model in Alberto Beltre's 3D design class. Photo: Barbara Allen Student work from Alberto Beltre's class. Photo: Barbara Allen Jabriel Elamin and Ronnie Grissom at work on geometric models. Photo: Roger Allen   Click on thumbnail images to view full-size pictures.