On Saturday, January 14, three teams of sixth, seventh and eighth grade students attended the Future City Regional Competition at Rutgers University. This opportunity was coordinated by H.B. Whitehorne technology teacher Julia Harth as an extension to the H.B.W. Maker Club, a club focused on creating more opportunities for students to develop confidence, creativity and interest in S.T.E.A.M. through making. (S.T.E.A.M. is an acronym for an integrated approach to teaching physical and social sciences by incorporating technology, the principles of engineering and design, language arts and mathematics.)
The Future City Competition challenges students to imagine, research, design and build cities of the future that showcase their solution to a citywide sustainability issue. This year, students were asked to design innovative, multiuse public spaces that serves a city’s diverse population. Students presented their solutions via a virtual city design using SimCity, a 1,500-word essay, a scale model and a presentation to judges at the competition. Of the 45 participating schools fielding some 85 teams, H.B. Whitehorne received awards for Most Innovative Design (“The City of Verona” project) and Best Planning Practices (“New Rome” project).
The students who participated in the Future City Competition were Diana Aleynikov, Victoria Aleynikov, Isabella Hussar, Colvin Kramer, Antonio Belotta, James Davey, Aidan Dyer, Aidan Bermeo, Jimmy McHugh, Jack McHugh, Addison Marriott and Philip Konrad-Parisi.
“We’re extremely proud of all our teams for their hard work and dedication,” said David Galbierczyk, principal of HBW’s Carnegie House.
