While Photography, Child Development, Foods and Nutrition and Autos are among the highly populated electives South students take, Architecture is one applied art class not many students seem to know about.

The class is run by Lee Fiorio who has been teaching at South for 32 years. According to Fiorio, Architecture has been offered at South since 1962.

“Architecture is simply understanding how houses are built, being able to express that in the form of a drawing or model, and understanding a little bit [about…] how buildings fit together,” Fiorio said. “[Students] learn how to design and draw houses and build architectural models [in the class].”

According to sophomore Kevin Benson, CAD, short for Computer Aided Drafting, is an entry-level course that prepares a student for both Engineering and Architecture by teaching the basics of technical drawing.

After a student takes CAD 161 and 261, they are eligible to take up to three years of Architecture.

“In both CAD [classes], you learn the conceptual [and] aesthetic ideas behind design as well as some of the practical, physical ideas of engineering,” Benson said. “The architecture program itself goes deeper into the design process […] and allows a little more personal creativity. While in CAD you might draw a house, in Architecture you get to design your own.”

Benson likes Architecture because of the content and Fiorio.

“Mr. Fiorio is extremely knowledgeable about design and drafting, and he’s a very enthusiastic [and] fun teacher,” Benson said. “As for the class material, I think that the creativity involved in architecture is something unique to the school. All the projects are really engaging and fun and you get to work with some really cool hardware as well.”

Senior Megan Anderson took CAD 161 and 261 her sophomore year when she was exploring different class options.

“I thought [Architecture] was something I might be interested in so I decided I would give [CAD] a try,” she said. “I’m really glad I stuck with it because Architecture is so much fun.”

Anderson wants to pursue architecture as a career because of the unique design elements that she can play and experiment with. She plans on attending the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee or Iowa State University.

“I really like how […] even a foot of wall can create a different kind of space and how different sticks and plains [can] make different things,” Anderson said. “I love how you can create something from nothing.”

Senior Brad Berg is another South student that finds passion in architecture.

“I like the hands-on experience I get to have in the class,” Berg said. “[I’m] able to design something, visualize it, then […] build it later on.”

Berg has always been interested in architecture and has family members who are architects. He also enjoys drawing so he decided to take CAD 161 as a second semester freshman after taking a semester of Drawing.

“[There are] about 26 kids in a CAD class and around six to eight kids in an architecture class,” Berg said. “For architecture, I like a small class [because] you get to know everyone. Most of the time the radio is [playing] while everyone works on their own project.”

Berg also plans on studying architecture in college and hopes to be successful in this field.

Fiorio recommends taking Architecture to any student that likes to draw and is interested in houses and design.

“I think [Architecture] is a very rewarding class,” Fiorio said. “[…] Everybody lives in a house, and we all know what’s comfortable and what’s good, and to be able to create something like that and […] learn proper design and technique [is] a very valuable skill.”