AiS Participant Handbook

This handbook is your reference guide for the Architects in Schools season. Here you will find important deadlines, requirements, resources and recommendations for your residency.

To stay on track, we recommend you use the following checklists for each portion of the AiS season:

Residency Process

AiS Curriculum Guide:
Residency Planning Resources:
Orientation Videos:
Trauma Workshops with Dr. Renee Mitchell: 
For Teachers to Send to Parents:
  • Image Release Form
  • AiS Exhibit Invite – If you participate in the AFO sponsored in person exhibits, we will email you an exhibit invite that you can email to parents or print out and send home with students
  • AiS Virtual Exhibit link once it’s emailed to you in the spring

Need help with residency planning?

Before Your Residency

DOWNLOAD A PRINTABLE CHECKLIST

  1. Understand your role as a teacher, design & building professional or architecture student – We have several resources to prepare participants for the AiS program. If this is your first time participating, please read through the following resources to ensure a successful residency.
  2. Complete an orientation (November) – If you are new to AiS and have concerns about completing an orientation, please contact sam@af-oregon.org. Past participants are encouraged to attend as well to receive updates on new resources. See orientation dates and details below.
  3. Attend the trauma workshop (January) – Please plan to attend our free, trauma-informed practices workshop if you are a volunteer, to prepare you to work with youth of all different backgrounds. Teachers are also welcome to attend. All AiS participants will receive a calendar invite to the workshop.
  4. Complete a Team Questionnaire – The Team Questionnaire will help you talk through classroom culture and how to prepare for a session.
  5. Determine residency goals – What do you want to achieve through this residency? What concepts should the students understand at the end of the residency? Use this outline to help you determine residency goals.
  6. Plan your residency (November – January) – Most teams schedule a time to meet up after the orientation to complete their residency plan. If you are teaching online or hybrid, read over these tips.
  7. Submit your residency plan (by February) – Before your residency begins please submit a plan (one per team) along with session dates and times using this form. Send AFO staff any changes to your plan throughout the residency.
  8. TEACHERS ONLY: Email Image Release Form to parents – Before Session 1, email the Image Release Form to students’ parents/guardians.
  9. TEACHERS ONLY: Have students complete a before residency assessment – Before Session 1, have students complete the Before Your Residency Student Self-Assessment.
  10. Prepare for Session 1 (after January) – Reference this checklist before each session to make sure the whole team is prepared and materials are gathered prior to the session.

Teachers: We recommend all first-time participants (only including teachers who apply to partner with a design/building professional) attend a 1.5-hour live virtual orientation, designed to help you have the best experience with AiS. If you cannot attend one of the scheduled live orientations or plan to participate in a fall residency, a self-paced LearnDash orientation course is available. Teachers will also have access to our free trauma training in case you do not have access to such trainings through your school or district.

Design/Building Professional & Design Student Volunteers: All first-time volunteers are required to attend a 1.5-hour virtual orientation (or complete our self-paced LearnDash orientation course if you are participating in a fall residency). In addition, we require all volunteers, new and returning, to attend our trauma workshop. The orientation and workshop will prepare you for working in the classroom and with students of all different backgrounds.

Orientation Dates: Please plan to complete one of the following online orientation options if you are new to the program. If you are new and have concerns about completing an orientation, please contact sam@af-oregon.org.

  • For fall residencies: Self-paced LearnDash online orientation course
  • For winter/spring residencies:
    • Tuesday, November 12, 2024, 4:30-6pm (6-6:30pm – optional Q&A/work session), Zoom
    • Saturday, November 16, 2024, 9:30-11am (11-11:30am – optional Q&A/work session), Zoom

Trauma Workshop: Please plan to attend our free, trauma-informed practices workshop if you are a volunteer, to prepare you to work with youth of all different backgrounds. Teachers are also welcome to attend. All AiS participants will receive a calendar invite to the workshop.

  • Tuesday, January 21, 2025, 4-6pm, Zoom
Orientation Recordings:

Program Introduction, Residency Resources, FAQs and Next Steps
Presented by Kim Knowles, AFO Director of Education Programs; Candice Agahan, AFO Director of Community Engagement; and Sam Majors, AFO Community Outreach Manager

Tips for Team Residency Planning
Presented by Sina Meier, Opsis Architecture

Tips for Online Team Teaching
Presented by Kristina Engstrom, Woodstock Elementary and Zach Suchara

Teacher Breakout: Integrating AiS into the Classroom
Presented by Amanda Francois, Gilbert Heights Elementary

Volunteer Breakout: In-Classroom and Online Teaching Tips
Presented by Sam Majors, AFO Community Outreach Manager

Trauma-Informed Workshop Recordings with Dr. Renee Mitchell:

Access supplementary digital resources here

2025 Workshop:
Go Within to Make the Biggest Impact: When I Heal, WE Heal, YOU(th) Heal, January 21, 2025

2024 Workshop Series:
8 Tips to Infuse Your Volunteerism with JOY, February 29, 2024

When I Heal, WE Heal, YOU(th) Heal, April 18, 2024

Volunteering With Youth in These Uncertain Times, June 11, 2024

2023 Workshop:
Infuse Your Volunteerism with JOY, April 17, 2023

2022 Workshop Series:
Trauma Informed Practices & Social Emotional Learning, February 8, 2022

What Do I Do Now?: Trauma-Informed, SEL- Sensitive Strategies that Support Youth and Create Belonging, May 17, 2022

Go Within to Make the Biggest Difference: When I Heal, We Heal, You(th) Heal, December 6, 2022 

Submit your residency plan before you begin your residency

During Your Residency

DOWNLOAD A PRINTABLE CHECKLIST

  1. Begin your residency (after January) – Start your sessions at the agreed upon time listed on the residency plan. Plan check-ins with your team between sessions to adjust time or activities as necessary. Use this checklist to make sure everyone is prepared before each session.
  2. Check in with AFO staff – Relay all questions, concerns or issues during your residency to AFO staff. We are here to help! If any of your session dates or times change, please notify us.
  3. TEACHERS ONLY: Watch for an email from AFO in the spring with directions to receive graduate credit for participating in AiS – This is optional. You must fulfill all the credit requirements by Friday, May 23, 2025.
  4. TEACHERS ONLY: Remind parents to submit Image Release Forms to AFO – Access the Image Release Form link here.
  5. Attend trauma trainings (Winter-Spring) – Please plan to attend our free, ongoing trauma informed trainings if you are a volunteer, to prepare you to work with youth of all different backgrounds. The workshops are presented in a series and are intended to build upon each other. Teachers are also welcome to attend. All AiS participants will receive calendar invites to the workshops.
  6. Choose a student exhibition option and notify AFO staff – There are several ways your team can decide to exhibit the work created by students during their AiS residency, including the AFO sponsored in-person or virtual exhibits, and/or a self-organized exhibit at the school. Watch for an email from AFO before spring break with exhibit details and specific instructions.
  7. Complete your residency (by end of April, if possible)

Connect with other AiS participants, ask questions, exchange ideas, seek advice, share successes!

After Your Residency

DOWNLOAD A PRINTABLE CHECKLIST

  1. Participate in a student exhibition – There will be specific deadlines and requirements if you plan to participate in the AFO sponsored in-person or virtual exhibits. Please refer to the email sent by AFO before spring break for more details.
  2. TEACHERS ONLY: Share information about student exhibitions with parents – If you are participating in the AFO sponsored in-person exhibits, we will email you digital invites to send to parents. We will send you the link to the virtual exhibit in June. Please share it with parents, family, colleagues and friends!
  3. TEACHERS ONLY: Have students complete an after residency assessment – After you have completed all sessions, have students complete the After Your Residency Student Self-Assessment. Email the assessments to sam@af-oregon.org or mail them to AFO, Attn: Sam Majors, PO Box 40230, Portland, OR 97240.
  4. TEACHERS ONLY: To receive graduate credit, submit all required documentation to AFO by Friday, May 23, 2025 – Register to receive graduate credit and submit all credit requirements to sam@af-oregon.org.
  5. Be on the lookout in August for applications to participate next school year!

We are excited to be hosting exhibit opportunities in the Portland Metro Area, Salem, and Bend for the 2024-2025 season. In addition, we are continuing to offer our virtual exhibit option to showcase the work of this season’s participants. You may choose to participate in either exhibit option (in-person or virtual) or you can participate in both!

In-Person Student Exhibit Options

If you would like to have your students’ work in displayed our in-person exhibits, please review and submit the Exhibit Request Form for your area with your partner teacher(s) or design professional(s).

Please remember that we will do our very best to secure your first choice venue, but cannot guarantee venues at this time. If there is a reason your students’ projects will be at a venue other than your first choice, you will be informed as soon as possible.

More information about in-person project drop-off and pick-up times will be emailed in mid-April.

Virtual Student Exhibit Option

If your team is not able to participate in or host an in-person exhibit, we highly encourage you to participate in our virtual exhibit. See past virtual exhibits for reference:

To participate in the virtual exhibit, please submit an exhibit documentation form by Friday, May 30, 2025. More information will be emailed and posted here as we get further into 2025.

Once the virtual exhibit is live, we will email all participants a link to share with students, parents, family, friends, and colleagues!

Questions?

Kim Ruthardt Knowles
Director of Education Programs
kim@af-oregon.org
503-317-7537

Candice Agahan
Director of Community Engagement
candice@af-oregon.org
503-542-3823

Sam Majors
Community Outreach Manager
sam@af-oregon.org
971-357-3178