After several months of extensive classroom work, eight MMSD schools converged on Monona Terrace for Terrace Town. Students and teachers were there to install their school's "box city" in the Exhibit Hall as part of the Terrace Town project. Hawthorne, Huegel, Kennedy, Lincoln, Randall, Sandburg, Schenk and Spring Harbor participated.

Since its inception in 2000, Terrace Town has introduced architecture and community design to over 1,400 elementary school students and educators. Ten thousand square feet of model cities created by over 800 elementary school and middle students demonstrated what makes a quality "green" city.

During their visit at Monona Terrace, the students also participated in hands-on learning activities.

The program aims to teach students how cities are planned, what makes a quality city, and how citizens can participate in the improvement of their community.

The program also trains teachers in using the built environment - buildings, streetscapes, neighborhoods, communities - as a resource for subjects they already teach, including social studies, math, science, or the visual arts.

The teachers and students work with classroom mentors such as planners and architects from the business community for several months in planning their city.

The nationally recognized "Box City" curriculum provides a framework for classroom activity. Lessons emphasize:

• "reading" the visual language of your surroundings for information about the past and present
• discovering the unique character of "sense of place" of your hometown or neighborhood
• evaluating your community and identifying any aspects that do not work
• proposing a solution and redesigning, using cardboard boxes to model ideas

The event culminated on Saturday, March 1, when parents, family, classroom mentors and the community had the opportunity to view the cities and celebrate the students' work.

Terrace Town is a biennial program next scheduled for the 2009-2010 school year.

Each school installed their school's "box city" in the Exhibit Hall as part of the TerraceTownproject. Ten thousand square feet of model cities created by over 800 elementary school and middle students demonstrated what makes a quality "green" city.

City building is hard work. The students took a few minutes during the construction to relax and enjoy the view!