Elgin High senior perseveres, wins drafting award

Natalie Chastain finally has something to smile about.

The community rallied around the Elgin High School senior this year after her specialized wheelchair was stolen — it was later returned — and then her mother died unexpectedly.

Despite those heartbreaks, Natalie has stayed on track, continuing to work toward her dream of becoming an architect.

In a testament to Natalie's focus, even during those trying circumstances, she and teammate Mike Zimmer recently won first place in a computer-aided design competition sponsored by Elgin Area School District U-46 and DLA Architects of Itasca.

Natalie and Mike were honored at Tuesday's U-46 board meeting.

“I know my mom was there with us,” Natalie said Wednesday. “I just want to go on and do everything for her. ... Last night, I got mad at her, but I'm trying my best to keep going.”

Natalie and Mike, both students in honors architecture, were tasked with designing a nature education center set in a forest preserve in the Rocky Mountains.

They started by sketching the building on paper and in a Google-based program. Natalie was able to work on the project by plugging her customized computer, which allows her to communicate, into the computers loaded with the drafting software.

“We wanted to make it as green as possible and make it ADA accessible,” said Natalie, who has cerebral palsy.

The nature center Natalie and Mike designed uses geothermal heating, bamboo flooring, dual-flush toilets and energy-saving, concrete-and-foam insulation.

Aesthetically, it is a traditional design, made to look like a log cabin, with large rear windows that allow views of the (imaginary) lake.

On March 2, Natalie and Mike, along with 18 other teams from five schools in U-46 and St. Charles, presented their design to a panel of judges made up of architects and civil engineers.

Two weeks ago, they learned the good news. It was a proud day for Bob Thomson, the teacher who helped guide Natalie and Mike through the process.

“You can puff your chest a bit,” said Thomson, whose students have won the competition twice before. He's quick to add: “The talent and ideas came from them.”

Natalie and Mike each received $150. Natalie plans to get herself an iPod. Mike, who turns 16 and gets his driver's license on Thursday, might use it fix up his first car.

Although the architecture program in U-46 has suffered from budget cuts, Mike, a precocious sophomore, plans to continue studying on his own.

“I've been in love with architecture for almost my whole life,” he said. “This is really exciting for me.”

Natalie, a senior, plans to attend Elgin Community College in the fall and eventually transfer to Southern Illinois University or the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

She's grateful for all the support she's received during the past year.

“It helps a lot and I didn't think all this would happen to me,” Natalie said. “I want to thank everybody for all that they helped me (with).”