Valley Academy Engineering Students Participate in Future City Competition

On January 20th, 6th- 8th-grade Engineering classes from Valley Academy participated in the regional "Future City Competition" held in Seattle. The students have been working hard for the past semester, imagining what Wenatchee would look like in 100 years if it was all electric.

The students researched Wenatchee's current situation and alternative energy sources to imagine how the city could be powered by electricity to keep its citizens happy and healthy. Their main focus was to address the issue of high housing costs and homelessness. They used the Engineering Design Process to write an essay about their future city, covering topics such as zoning, infrastructure, city services, transportation, energy, design, and scale. Lastly, the class built a model of their future city of Wenatchee with a moving part, using an expense account of $100.

Every few weeks, the students evaluate their progress, make goals, and set deadlines. They had three presenters from each class that represented them giving a 7-minute talk and 10-minute Q&A time before judges in Seattle (Shoreline Community College).

The "Future City of Wenatchee" was presented at the Future City competition, which included 36 teams from Washington, Alaska, and Idaho.

The students showed great enthusiasm and creativity in their presentations, demonstrating their knowledge in engineering, design, and critical thinking. This is a testament to how our students learn real-world skills, have hands-on opportunities, and are involved in learning and exploring opportunities to be future-ready. The competition provided an excellent opportunity for students to showcase their talents and further develop their skills.