The goal for Quest Charter Academy's team was to design a city 100 years into the future that eliminates food waste from farm to table, keeping citizens healthy and safe. The competition involved several components: a scale model made from recycled materials, a project plan, a 15-minute presentation and Q&A session, and a 1,500-word essay about their city.
Communities In Schools Site Coordinator Johnathon Young led the group, and he said the team’s concept focused on using Japanese Shinkansen-style trains to bring food into the city and take food waste out of it. The team also used their creativity to automate their food waste system.
“Their idea was to have robots coexist in their city with humans,” Young said. “They had the robots transporting food to these trains and working with humans to bring food waste to drop off sites. They built a system to go through the whole city and focused on certain drop off points to access businesses and homes.”
The team’s use of the high-speed Shinkansen-style train caught the judges’ attention. This creative thinking earned the Cyber Knights an accolade: the Innovative Moving Part Award.
The competition got each team member involved in their own way. Three students presented the entire project to judges, answering questions and providing background information on their project. Other teammates were involved with building the model and writing the essay.
Young said other students saw the Cyber Knights around school and wanted to join. While the group was full this year, he’s excited about the interest and the community he’s built with the team.
“When we won that award, the students were stoked,” Young said. “They gave us all hoodies, too, so I see them wearing the hoodies around school on free dress day, and I’m amazed at and proud of this community within the school.”
The Cyber Knights built this bond over months. Young said no one knew each other at first, but it was heartwarming to see them come together and work as a team. They formed friendships with each other and even inspired their own group leader.
“Team building was huge for us,” Young said. “Everyone had to come together to get our project done. I really pressed creativity because I know judges look for out-of-the-box thinking. I just started the conversation, and they had a ton of creative input. It actually inspired me to think outside the box for everything that I do.”
While students built life skills such as communication, teamwork and problem solving, they also had the opportunity to network with judges, mentors, and fellow students. Young said judges offered to provide recommendations for students and gave students inspiration for their future careers.
“If any school can find someone to run the team and find a mentor to come alongside them, they should do it,” Young said. “I think it’s a big advantage for the school because it has helped the students and teachers build a network. It’s just an awesome program.”
Way to go, Quest Cyber Knights and Mr. Young! Keep investing in and inspiring students, Quest!
About Quest Charter Academy
Quest Charter Academy is a tuition-free, public charter school in Taylor, Michigan, serving students in kindergarten through eighth grade. It is part of the National Heritage Academies (NHA®) network, which includes more than 100 tuition-free, public charter schools serving more than 65,000 students in kindergarten through high school across nine states. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.
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