Alumni Spotlight: Tom Carver (THS '88)

Tom Carver (Timberline High School Class of 1988) is an architect for BCRA Design. He credits the seeds of his professional career to the Evergreen Forest Elementary School student handbook (more about that below!).

Tom shared some reflections on how his time at NTPS prepared him for his future.

What are some of your favorite memories of attending NTPS schools?

I have a lot of fond memories with friends and experiences, including a choir trip to Expo ’86 in Vancouver. But the presence of my teachers helped form lifelong lessons that I didn’t appreciate at the time and now take to heart. Like a lot of kids growing up in the 1970s and 80s, I was constantly worried about looking, acting, and being normal. Teachers helped keep me grounded, using positive reinforcement and encouraging me to push boundaries. First mine then others. Looking back, my time interacting with these excellent educators helped me gain confidence and understand myself better, aspects that many kids struggle with growing up.

How did your NTPS education prepare you for your career?

What first ignited my interest came in the form of a student handbook, passed out when Evergreen Forest Elementary first opened in 1978. It included policy information such as bell schedules, dress code, and disciplinary actions. In the center was a map of the school, taken from an architectural floor plan. The purpose was to indicate in which classroom each teacher was located. But I remember keeping that handbook close by so I could stare at the map, observe which rooms were next to each other, and how you could walk from place to place.

I saw how these classroom pods were grouped together, three per grade level, with an open library at the center, and directional signage painted high above the walls for orientation. All together this brought a wonderful sense of spatial organization to the layout. I was unwittingly learning space planning and adjacency prioritization.

Later in life when I had to choose a topic to study in graduate school, I recalled this memory and focused on school design, returned to NTPS, and worked with the Construction & Design office to eventually produce a prototype elementary design on a site owned by the District on Meridian Road. I’ve had connections with K-12 school design ever since.

What advice do you have for current high school students about taking advantage of educational opportunities?

I’ve been fortunate to help modernize other district facilities, Lacey Elementary (2002) and Chinook Middle School (2008) in my career. I’ve also been able to assist with construction funding scenarios while working at the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. It always feels heartening to know I’m helping provide a physical foundation that supports the educational process. In the case of Lacey Elementary, I also had an opportunity to teach an architecture segment to 4th graders while construction was happening, knowing they would still be there to see the results as 6th graders. My advice for students is to be a kid, have fun, and be open to a lot of ideas while young, discovering what piques your interest. Then dive head-first into your passions. Even if a path ends up being one you don’t stay on, the lessons you gain will still be valuable, because you’ll have learned your tolerance levels, what you don’t like, and will be more resilient for your next leap.