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Clark County middle school students gathered at Northwest Career and Technical Academy Saturday to compete in the Future City Competition. Teams of students built tabletop model “future cities” built on alternative energy resources.
By Aida Ahmed 
Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012 | 4:47 p.m.
Imagine a city where the sidewalks are replaced with sand and energy is found in citrus fruits. How about living in a city with only public transportation? Or even a coastal city where energy is produced by hydrogen and algae synthesis?
These “cities” were created by the minds of Clark County sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders enrolled in the Future City Competition class.
Students from 11 Clark County middle schools filled rooms at Northwest Career and Technical Academy on Saturday as they presented their model cities in the annual Future City Competition. This year’s theme was alternative energy resources that maintain a healthy planet.
These students are getting first-hand experience in the world of engineering, some by signing up for a yearlong elective class; others have grouped together for an extracurricular activity. Their goal: to make it to nationals.
Regional co-coordinator Olivia Furlan said the competition, now in its 20th year, strives to give middle school students a better picture of what it's like to be an engineer.
“When it comes to engineering, people don’t know what engineers look like, what they do,” Furlan said. “Future city is a great way to introduce to sixth-, seventh- and eight-graders what that role is in society.”
Come judging time, students are expected to have completed all five components of the competition: they must build a scale physical model of their original city; write a 1,000-word essay; write a city narrative; build the city virtually in SimCity, a virtual city-building simulation game; and give a five-minute oral presentation.
When selected, the winning group gets a trip to compete at the national level in Crystal City, Va. The prize: a trip to space camp.
Southern Nevada has been represented at nationals for 14 years but has never won the national Future City Competition. Furlan said the experience alone does wonders for kids whose interest in science is sparked by the competition.
“Students go on to work for NASA, become doctors, become engineers,” Furlan said. “There are students who have gone on to have patents from the discoveries that they made during Future City.”
•••
Four eager teams from Ernie Rambo’s class at Walter Johnson Junior High presented their cities Saturday morning.
Rambo, who has taught the class for more than five years, said her students dedicate endless hours to the project.
“It is a way for them to apply all the things they are learning about in their other classes — definitely their science knowledge, mathematics, in particular, ratio and proportion,” Rambo said.
But science and math aren’t the only things Rambo hopes her students will learn.
One former autistic student, she said, would rarely communicate with others. After joining her class he became a group leader and eventually led his team presentation. Rambo said after that experience he felt comfortable enough to try out for a spot at the Las Vegas Academy of International Studies, Performing and Visual Arts, where he now plays the bass.
“This experience, while we think of it as science and engineering and careers, it brings out some other talents that (students) have,” Rambo said.
•••
“I’ve always been interested in science,” said Jose Favella.
Favella’s group, also from Johnson Junior High, created a city powered by hydrogen and wind energy called HydroCity. After presenting, he and his partners, Nick and Alex Anderson, placed their intricate model display in the hallway for others to see.
What they are most proud of? The fact that 99 percent of their model was built by recyclable products like McDonald's drink holders, old prescription bottles and used printer cartridges.
“We had some difficulties, and we had to debate what we wanted,” said Alex Anderson. “The most challenging part of the model would probably be the lighthouse and the roads took about two hours.”
Although they say it would be nice to win, the boys — all sixth-graders — said they wouldn't be mad if they don’t because there is always next year.
The future is born from our imaginations.
Blessings and Peace,
Star
Holy hell, how bout building the ideas of liberty and freedom in the minds of young children? Do they do that at school anymore?
The USSR had only public transportation, except for the Party elite. How did that work out?
Teaching kids to rely on government control of their lives is absolutely dangerous, but the school system must teach this to survive.
I understand your concerns about students learning about "liberty and freedom," Mr. Coburn. Coincidentally, I teach US History during the school day every period except for the one period that I teach Future City. True to my statement that students apply the core of what they're learning in school as they create their cities, students often include some discussion of the government in their descriptions. Rest assured that students capture the ideals of our nation's government and also criticize those areas where the reality of our government does not meet its ideal. The Future City Competition allows students to practice expressing what they hold most dear about our nation in their written, oral, and model presentations.
Mr. Coburn, as the mother of the Autistic child mentioned, as well as Alex & Nick Anderson, I will tell you that my children are EXTREMELY educated about government, world affairs and politics! My twins bugged the heck out of their THIRD GRADE their teachers to hold a mock caucus during our last Presidential election! And, thanks to Nick & Alex, their class DID hold one! They have gone to numerous political activities, have met several presidential candidates and other notables such as Mitt Romney, Governor Tim Pawlenty, Governor Schwartzenegger, and various local politicians. They have worked on both of Mitt Romney's campaigns - as young as 7 years old! All four of my children watch every debate, election results and watch O'Reilly EVERY night with us! I can assure you, they are being taught about Socialism and Marxism, so they can be our future - and preserve our liberty!! Future City has NO political influence whatsoever. What it does do is teach children how how be good stewards of the precious little resources we DO have, and find alternative ways to power a city, conserve water, invent alternative fuels..... Its THEIR choice! And 99% of them eliminate the need for fossile fuels - and to tap into other resources that are plentiful without harming the environment! How can this be a BAD thing? With the majority of todays children glued to their IPhones and Xboxes, having Jr High aged kids willing to be involved in a project of this magnitude, and taking an interest in finding solutions where OUR OWN GOVERNMENT is too corrupt or lazy to, is astonishing! Maybe if an adult like yourself got involved in Future City, and mentored them, YOU would look at the city you live in with different eyes, and would be a better steward yourself! In a world full of can't, won't, isn't,...these kids learn the ONLY limitation to solving their world/cities problems are the limitations of their imagination!! Ernie Rambo is an amazing teacher that encourages, supports and teaches these kids much more than scale and city management! She teaches them its ok to think big and out of the box! That they can do ANYTHING they set their minds to! Aric is proof of that! After being in Ms. Rambo's class and participating in The Future City competetion twice, he had the self confidence to audition at LVA..he figured if he can speak and answer questions of a panel of engineers about nanotechnology and algaesynthesis, playing the upright bass for one person would be much less stressful! And he GOT IN! He's a Junior, in the World Jazz Studies program, and has scholarship opportunities because of it! And it all started with Ernie and Future City!! So please, you have it ALL wrong! I challenge you to go watch the regionals next January! You'll be amazed at the kids!!