'Future City' Competition Tests Trinity Lutheran Students' Talent, Imagination

Since the beginning of the school year, Trinity Lutheran students have been taking a crash course in community planning, and this month, they will put their skills and creativity to the test against 500 of their peers in the 2013 Michigan Regional Future City Competition.

Organized by The Engineering Society of Detroit (ESD), Future City is a nationwide competition that challenges 6th, 7th and 8th grades students to envision a city 150-plus years into the future in which they would like to live, according to ESD.

This year’s theme challenged students to "Rethink Runoff: Design Clean Solutions to Manage Stormwater Pollution."

For the past four months, students have been working with their teachers and volunteer engineer mentors to design future cities based on this theme, learning to apply math and science concepts to real-world problems and work in a team along the way.

Prior to the actual day day of competition, students are required to develop a computer model, write an essay and build a physical model of their city. Teams are then asked to present their creation to professional judges at the competition. 

The 2013 competition will see two teams from Trinity Lutheran compete alongside more than 500 students from across Michigan.

The event will take place Monday, Jan. 28, from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi.

The winning team is awarded an all expense-paid trip to the national finals in February in Washington, D.C.