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High school drafting students are the future of architecture; yet in many rural North Carolina counties, there are few resources for drafting students or their teachers. There is a marked disparity between the 8 wealthiest counties in North Carolina (Wake, Durham, Orange, Forsyth, Buncombe, Guilford, Mecklenburg, and New Hanover) and the remaining 92. Our rural high school systems are woefully underfunded compared to national averages. We are in the bottom 10% of the country along with Mississippi, Tennessee, and Oklahoma.

When you get down to the drafting class level in a rural high school, they have the equipment but teachers often don't have the depth of training or experience to create strong future designers. This combined with limited class time on school CAD systems makes for typically very basic class projects. And in these counties, only 60% of kids have access to the internet at home. Sure, they have it on their phones, but you can't do CAD on your phone.

For students who are interested in a career in architecture, or any design field, Project BauHow provides field trips to NC State's College of Design, summer program scholarships in design to NC State and UNC Charlotte, and other elements to increase student opportunitiees.

Project BauHow provides unique experiences for young people to explore architecture, inspires and accelerates learning, connects students to the state's two architecture schools, and encourages the study of design. We provide field trips for rural high school students to NC State's College of Design, including all fees and lunch.

Architect Erin Sterling Lewis spoke to McMichael High School in 2014 (video). Architect Bailey Allred spoke to Scotland High School in 2016 (video).

Sponsors and donors make the magic for supporting Project BauHow. Your contribution makes a profound difference in the next generation of architects. For more information, contact Project BauHow Director George Smart at george@ncmodernist.org. Donate here.