Sixth-graders make strong showing at Future City contest

For seven years, Bonnie Maxwell helped coordinate the S.C. Regional Future City competition as an education outreach staffer at Savannah River Site.

Her daughter, Makenzie Cude, was just 3 when Maxwell began working with the annual event. Soon afterward, Makenzie would put all sorts of boxes together, proclaiming, "I want to build my Future City."

More recently, she helped her mom at the event, racing through USC Aiken's Business & Education Building with score sheets.

Now a sixth-grader at Kennedy Middle School, Makenzie got to build her Future City, competing in the regionals for the first time Saturday. To her astonishment, she and teammates Lacie Leach and Alex Coleman on the "Metallics" team came in second, just missing an all-expense-paid trip to the national contest in Washington, D.C., next month.

"We were thinking, maybe like in eighth-grade (we'd make it to the finals)," Makenzie said. "When they called out that we made the finals, I jumped up and ran on stage and said like, 'Really?' We couldn't believe it."

Alex and Lacie are sixth-graders, too, and are coached by science teacher Margo Gore. Other sixth-graders who competed are Samuel Boyd and Ian Stembridge, who joined Samuel's eighth-grade brother Jacob on Aiken Area Home Educators' "Coventina" squad, taking third place. Remarkably, this is the first time that Future City has allowed sixth-graders to participate with older middle school students.

"There were 36 teams, and I figure we might could get 10th place," said Samuel, who is coached by his mom, Vickie Boyd. "I was really befuddled and excited when I realized we were going to get at least third."

Blythewood Middle School of Columbia won the regionals for the second straight year, although just one team member, Valerie Miller, had returned from the 2010 squad. She was joined on the oral presentation component by Lillie Buschmann and Anthony Richards. Valerie was delighted that the group is headed back to Washington.

"The trip was really fun," she said. "I was overjoyed by the opportunity to go to the next level. I became friends with a lot of new people there."

Future City is a national program that promotes science and engineering, said Kimberly Mitchell, an education outreach staffer for Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, which sponsored the regionals with the Ruth Patrick Science Education Center. The students must build a replica a city - this year with a health care-related theme.

"But the kids started in late August with an essay, then had to create a (computer-simulated) city," Mitchell said. "Those scores were already on record, but the oral presentations today are such a large part of it, too."

Among the judges for the finals was Dave Moody, who became the Department of Energy operations manager at SRS in October. He has an 11-year-old daughter and would like to get her involved in Future City after being introduced to the program Saturday.

"It's really great to see the enthusiasm, imagination and amount of time these students have dedicated to their projects," Moody said. "They're growing engineers and scientists of the future. I fully believe the SRS will have tremendous missions in the future and will need to cultivate that next generation."

Bonnie Maxwell said she was far more nervous watching Future City as Makenzie's mom than as a coordinator in years past.

"I had knots in my stomach," she said. "I have a whole new perspective now, as I didn't realize how hard this competition was. It's been great and I hope this program will continue to grow."

Contact Rob Novit at rnovit@aikenstandard.com.

Future City Awards

* Overall winners: Blythewood Middle School "Magnavivous," first place; Kennedy Middle School "Metallics," second; Aiken Area Home Educators "Coventina," third

* Best Essay, sponsored by SRNS: New Ellenton Middle School "REACH"

* Most Creative Use of Materials, sponsored by American Concrete Institute: Ashley Hall "Vita"

* Best Model Award, sponsored by SRS Leadership Association: St. Mary on the Hill "Cyber City"

* Best Energy System, sponsored by American Nuclear Society: LBC Middle School "Sparthens"

* Excellence in Biomedical Engineering, sponsored by, USC Biomedical Engineering Program: Blythewood Middle School "Magnavivous"

* Best Project Management Plan, sponsored by Project Management Institute: Kennedy Middle "Metallics"

* Best Planned City, sponsored by Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering: W.A. Perry "Neon Trees"

* Best Integration of Engineered Systems, sponsored by American Society for Engineering Management: Adelphi Christian Academy "Cairde"

* Excellence in Futuristic Concepts, sponsored by American Society of Mechanical Engineer: Aiken Middle School "New Vegas"

* Best Automation/Computer Applications, sponsored by Instructional Systems and Automation: Kennedy Middle "Edenopolis"

* Protecting Public Health and Safety, sponsored by S.C. Society of Professional Engineers: E.L. Wright "Nouveau Britannique"

* Best Futuristic Transportation System, sponsored by S.C. Society of Professional Engineers: Aiken Area Home Educators "Coventina"

* Most Innovative Design of Infrastructure Systems, sponsored by American Society of Civil Engineering: St. Mary on the Hill "Hala City"

* Best Use of Systems Engineering, sponsored by Council on Systems Engineering: Ashley Hall "Spero"

* Students' Choice Award (voted on by teams), sponsored by SRS Leadership Association: Edgewood Middle School "Instantaneousville"