Cardinal Schools
The Future City Competition is a culminating event held in Columbus that involved a competition with 19 Ohio middle schools. Future City is…
Future City Competition
The Future City Competition is a culminating event held in Columbus that involved a competition with 19 Ohio middle schools. Future City is sponsored by National Engineer’s Week and is designed to give middle school students an introduction to the world of engineering.
Students are to create a city in the future and address the issue of urban agriculture. Students design a virtual city using Sim City software. They research urban agriculture and brainstorm ideas for how to grow and sustain food in their city.
Students worked on completing a model of the city using mostly recycled materials. A small group of students worked on a lengthy and creative presentation to explain and address the features of their city.
Cardinal had three teams all working on their own city along with all the steps that go with it.
Teacher and coach Shaun Spence led a group of sixth-graders. Teacher and coach Gregg Saddler led the seventh-graders, and teacher and coach Luke Kruse led the eighth-graders. Part of the process of Future City involves bringing in a volunteer mentor and engineer to help guide students in their learning and understanding. Claire Zurbuch was the volunteer.
Three eighth-grade students represented Cardinal in Columbus to show off the model and delver their presentation before a panel of judges. They were joined by teachers Shaun Spence and Luke Kruse as well as Claire Zurbuch. The team finished in the top 10 in overall points. It also was the recipient of four special awards. Only one school at the competition had won more special awards than Cardinal.
One of the experiences during the process was a field trip the students took to Great Lakes Growers in Burton, who provided a real world experience for students to see how hydroponics works. Students were able to take that experience and use it in their models, essay and presentation.
There will be a local showcase at Cardinal Middle School to show off the work that the teams have done. Each grade has been its own team. Each team has completed a virtual city using Sim City software, a research paper on the topic of urban agriculture, a city narrative, a model of its city and a presentation. These will all be highlighted during the local showcase. Students who participated in Future City, as well as their families, are invited to join and watch.
