School Club Wins 3rd Place in State Competition

Lumberton Jr. High School students shine in technology project

Ms. King's students excel in statewide "future city competition"

Lumberton parents have a right to be very proud as Lumberton Junior High’s Business Computer Technology Club captured 3rd place in a statewide competition. The students designed a "future city" as part of a competition associated with North Carolina Engineers' Week.

The students' teacher, Ms Phyllis King, explains that there were three phases involved in the project to design a city of the future. In the first phase the students used "SIM City Software" to build a city from the ground up to include roads, the generation of revenue, planned growth for the future, and taxes with no city debt. This effort included a written description of their city.

The second phase involved an engineering challenge for the students' city of the future. The Lumberton students researched nanotechnology and devised a means for this technology to be used to monitor and maintain the quality of the city's water system by keeping it free of impurities and contamination. The students built a physical model of their city in the third phase of the project.

The students are Abigal Giles, Lisa Washington, Alisa Young, Terron Mc Millan, Kashif Stone, Andrew Yarbrough, and Daniel Harper. In addition to their teacher and advisor, Ms. King, the students were supported by Mrs. Debbie Hunt and Mrs. Brenda Chavis. As fans of the club, Mrs. Hunt and Mrs. Chavis were in attendance to assist the students at North Carolina State University when they presented their model to a panel of judges.

The team's physical model of the future city was constructed using recycled materials. Ms. King explains that, as a team effort with both a written and oral presentation requirement, the project enhanced the students' communication skills. In addition, the students gained an understanding of how engineers turn their ideas into tangible results. The Lumberton students' future city was named “Salus” meaning a city with a healthy environment.