WMA competes at international Future City event

The trip of a lifetime came early for 10 students in the Wilbraham & Monson Academy Middle School as they competed in the highest round of the annual Future City competition in Washington, D.C., Feb. 16-17.

The team, led by Grade 7 Science teacher Jamie Gouin, won the local and regional events to advance to the international stage. The competition, held this year at the Hyatt Regency Hotel on Capitol Hill, included 39 teams from the United States and five more from China.

Partaking in the event were Class of 2030 members: T.J. Lee, Quintus Kim, Caroline Harvey, Tre Goldsmith, Callan McMahon, Tanner Cavanaugh, Olivia Collins, Mackenzie Clancey, Joseph Odei-Boateng and Cooper Haluch.

The team presented for 90 minutes on both Sunday and Monday.

“I thought the team did an excellent job and represented WMA very well,” Mr. Gouin expressed. “We were a first-year school, so there was a learning curve and I am proud of this team paving the way for future Titan teams. The judges asked some very difficult questions and the students rose to the challenge of answering the questions.”

While the team did gain valuable experience at the local and regional level, the international contest presented a different ordeal.

“Our students needed to present at least three times a day in front of multiple crews of judges,” Mr. Gouin expressed. “This was unlike the regional competition, where they only were required to present once or twice during the event. In addition, finalists do not need to present in the auditorium for the finals.”

The Titans did not place (top five). However, this was the type of quest that could have a profound impact on a student.

“I think the students were able to create memories that they will keep for the rest of their lives,” Mr. Gouin said. “They were able to meet students from around the country and from China. This event also provided them the experience to present their ideas to professionals and hopefully inspire many of them to have a future career in science, technology or engineering.”

Future City, where students model a metropolis 100 from now, is part of the Grade 7 curriculum at WMA.