On Thursday, March 5, North Carolina Modernist Houses (NCMH) will sponsor Design Blitz, an all-day event for Wake County Public Schools' 10th and 11th grade design students. The event will be held at Red Hat, a leading provider of open source enterprise information technology, in downtown Raleigh.

NCMH is an award-winning non-profit organization dedicated to documenting, preserving, and promotion Modernist residential design across North Carolina. Executive Director George Smart explained why NCMH is leading the Design Blitz sponsorship:

“The Blitz dovetails well with Project BauHow, our initiative for 9th and 10th graders. Both programs focus on encouraging high school students to pursue careers in design. It’s our pleasure to participate.”

Elizabeth Luna, a teacher and certified Adobe education trainer at Athens Drive High School in Raleigh, will lead a large design charette during the event.

Otherwise, students will work in small groups with industry professionals as they complete a design challenge: to define a “creative person” and a “workspace,” then develop a prototype. According to Luna, the emphasis will be on the work process and student collaboration.

Following the challenge, students will engage with an industry panel to learn about architecture, industrial design, and graphic design careers. NCMH’s George Smart will be a member of the panel.

Design Blitz will culminate in a portfolio admissions presentation to help prepare students for future college admissions.

Design Blitz is only open to Wake County public school students and teachers. For more information on the event, contact Elizabeth Luna at eluna@wcpss.net.

Red Hat is located at 100 E. Davie Street, Raleigh. For more information: www.redhat.com.