School News

Drafting teacher Tim Stensland helps sophomore Ryan Budnick with his house-designing project in a drafting class at Edmonds-Woodway. 

A lot goes in to building a house.

That’s what James Lee, a senior, is learning in his drafting class at Edmonds-Woodway High School.  He’s currently designing and drafting a house for a class project. 

He’ll only build a model of his house, but he’s also studying the step-by-step process of building a house, which includes searching for an available lot and obtaining a building permit.  It’s all very complicated, Lee said.

“It’s not easy to build a house,” he said.  “You can’t just buy wood and build a house.  There are a lot of steps to it.”

Edmonds-Woodway’s Architectural Design and Drafting program offers college-credit courses for high school students interested in pursuing a career in the architectural, civil or structural engineering fields.

The program, which is open to students in the Edmonds School District and neighboring school districts, is recognized as one of the top design and drafting programs in the United States.  Students in the program consistently place in competitions, win awards and qualify for scholarships.

Within the program’s three drafting classes, students learn the history of architecture, design and drafting techniques, industry standards, structural principles, architectural vocabulary, and construction codes and processes.

The classes are taught in a real-world environment, where students also learn to set and meet deadlines, direct their own projects, present design proposals to industry professionals, and prepare a portfolio of their work.

“I’m preparing them for the workplace, for university or college or wherever their next step is,” said Tim Stensland, who has been teaching the program for 17 years.  “I let them own it.  I teach them how to think for themselves … and how to deal with changes. 

“Most schools tell you what you need to know, but they don’t throw changes at you. They don’t switch deadlines, they don’t question you in-depth, and they don’t work with you at your own pace.” He said.

Lee, who is in his second year of the program, joined the program because he is interested in mechanical engineering. He plans on taking more drafting classes in college.

“I’m kind of interested in all that drafting stuff,” he said.  “I find it interesting how mechanical engineers put things together and I love problem-solving, which is what mechanical engineers do.”

In the third class of the program, students get to compete in local, regional, state, national and international design and drafting competitions.  In April, the students will compete in the annual SkillsUSA architectural drafting state competition.

Individually, the third- and fourth-year students are also working on other design and drafting projects, including proposals for eVolo’s annual Skyscraper Competition and the Miami Beach Hotel Student Design Competition.

The third- and fourth- year students are also currently designing and drafting a house for the Lynnwood Rotary Club House Project, a program that offers construction experience to high school students.

Sophomore Ryan Budnick, also in his second year of the program, likes the loose atmosphere of the studio-based, project-oriented classes.  He’s currently designing and drafting a house for a fake client – an ex-pro athlete in San Diego.

“It’s really cool because I get to design what I think the person would like and I get to make it whatever I want,” he said.  “And when we build a model of the project, I get to see what my house looks like in 3-D instead of on the computer screen. I get to bring it to life and actually build it.”

Budnick plans to take the third drafting class next year.  He wants to be an architect someday and build houses.

Second-year student Dana Hellie, a senior, joined the program because she is interested in interior design.  She recently job shadowed an interior designer who told her that having background in drafting is helpful.

Hellie likes that the class isn’t as structured as her other classes.  She can be as creative as she wants with her house designs and floor plans.

“I like freedom and being independent,” she said.  “I like studying on my own, so having a structured class isn’t my forte so to speak, so being able to make my own decisions in the class is nice.”

For more information, visit Edmonds-Woodway’s Web site and click on the Architecture Program tab or e-mail questions to stenslandt@edmonds.wednet.edu.