HACKETTSTOWN, NJ (April 29, 2008) – For the third year, the National Kitchen & Bath Association has awarded “Most Outstanding Annual Requirements” trophies to those NKBA-accredited schools that have demonstrated the highest standards of kitchen and bath instruction. Each NKBA-accredited school submitted two of their students’ kitchen design projects, which followed the requirements of the 2007/2008 NKBA Student Design Competition, sponsored by American Woodmark and Sub Zero/Wolf.

Student work samples included a floor plan, elevation, construction plan, and mechanical plan. The kitchen work samples were assessed on their compliance with the NKBA Planning Guidelines and adherence to NKBA Graphic and Presentation Standards.

The top entries from among all the schools that submitted student projects this year were announced at the Educators’ Forum held during the NKBA’s 2008 Kitchen/Bath Industry Show & Conference (K/BIS^®) in Chicago. This year, the NKBA recognized seven schools for achieving excellence in kitchen design. These schools met the NKBA’s challenging goal of earning average scores of at least 93 out of a possible 100 on the projects designed by their students.

Each of this year’s top seven schools, along with their kitchen design program coordinators, received a trophy of recognition at the Educators’ Forum. The winning schools and their coordinators are:

Alexandria Technical College; Alexandria, MN - Betty Ravnik, CKD, CBD
Araphahoe Community College; Littleton, CO - Dawn Viola
Brigham Young University–Idaho; Rexburg, Idaho - Wendy Harris, CKE
East Carolina University, Greenville, NC - Yaprak Savut, CKE
Seminole Community College; Sanford, FL - Jill D. Smith
University of Nebraska at Kearny; Kearny, NE - Phyllis A. Markussen, CKE, CBE
Weber State University*; Ogden, UT - Jan Slabaugh

*One of the student projects submitted from Weber State University received a perfect score of 100.

Accredited Programs, created by the NKBA to serve the professional needs of the industry and to ensure consistent, quality education for students striving to become kitchen and bath design professionals, currently recognizes more than 50 schools across the United States and Canada that teach kitchen and bath curriculum. NKBA Accredited Programs are evaluated with respect to mission, administration, curriculum, faculty, and resources to determine eligibility and the ability to fulfill the Association’s minimum student competencies.

About the National Kitchen & Bath Association

The National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA) is a non-profit trade association that owns the Kitchen/Bath Industry Show & Conference (K/BIS®). With over 40,000 members, the NKBA has educated and led the kitchen and bath industry for 45 years. The mission of the NKBA is to enhance member success and excellence, promote professionalism and ethical business practices, and provide leadership and direction for the kitchen and bath industry. For more information, please visit the NKBA Press Room at www.nkba.org/press or call (800) THE-NKBA.