Bold Innovation!
Morganton Day School (MDS) 6th-8th Graders traveled to Raleigh to compete in the Future City regional competition. Twenty-nine middle school teams from across the state gathered to share their city model and innovative ideas for this year’s challenge: choose a climate change impact and design one innovative and futuristic climate change adaptation and one mitigation strategy to keep the residents of your city healthy and safe.
The students imagined what the world could be like in one hundred years and wrote an essay describing their futuristic city. They submitted a project plan, created a scale model, and developed a seven-minute presentation. On Saturday, January 21, they spoke with twenty-one judges and engineers to describe their fully developed solution, expressing their plans for infrastructure and feasibility based on various locations in the world. The three teams from MDS could be seen diligently speaking with engineers but also periodically traversing the room to support each other and check on the progress of each team.
After lunch, all of the teams and hundreds of parents gathered to receive specialty awards and watch the presentations of the teams with the overall highest scores. Our very own NeonCity took the stage as one of the final four! After an outstanding presentation and questions from some of the top engineers in the state, NeonCity became the North Carolina Future City competition second-place winner!
Morganton Day School students demonstrated research skills, communication skills, social skills, thinking skills, and self-management as they prepared for and confidently represented our school on Saturday. Each team came home with a specialty award recognizing their innovation and commitment to making our world a better place. Overall, the students were awarded $1,250, which will go toward our STEAM program.
MDS North Carolina Future City Awards:
Best Use of Infrastructure: Shiade (6th Grade)
This award was given for overall thoughtfulness in the development of utilities, public spaces, transportation, energy sources, waste management, special services, and each element of the city that affects the daily lives of citizens. Shiade was well-rounded in accessibility, inclusiveness, and the development of all aspects of the city infrastructure.
Mott MacDonald's Purpose Award: Bon (7th/8th Grade)
This global engineering, management, and development consultancy recognize students who show potential for developing sustainability and innovative ideas to achieve climate change. This award was given for the development of ideas that could create lasting change and show commitment to the goal of a sustainable future.
Best Project Plan: NeonCity (7th/8th Grade)
This award was presented by the Future Cities Regional Director to the team who showed agency throughout their project and developed a plan to set and achieve their goals, solve problems, make adjustments as needed, and ensure that they are including the strengths and ideas of each team member. These are life-long skills that are the underpinning of this extended project and help students understand the importance of planning, setting goals, and working collaboratively as a team.
The Future Cities regional presentations are the culmination of nearly six months of planning, preparation and hard work. The hard work and dedication of our students are exhibited in the awards they received. We are very proud of their accomplishments!
Congratulations!
Treesie Cape
Curriculum Coordinator
