The Newberg Planning Department learned earlier this month that the Design Start project – a five-year old planning project that pairs city planners with Newberg sixth grade students turned developers - will receive an award for Special Achievement in Planning from the Oregon chapter of the American Planning Association on May 11th.

For two weeks in the fall, sixth grade students at Mountain View and Chehalem Valley Middle School create concepts for vacant sites near their schools. Yogurt shops. Dog-walking parks. Skating rink. While possibilities are endless, students are encouraged to think comprehensively. What do citizens want? What are the fiscal responsibilities?

Newberg assistant planner Jessica Nunley and GIS analyst Jan Wolf work with the students and their teachers to learn how the city work, how and why it’s organized the way it is. It's the teachers that bring it to life. Mountain View teachers Tom Willing, Heather Bryant, Michael Alpert and Linda Buck use the program to emphasize writing and presentation skills. Students team up to develop their ideas and present their concepts to the mayor and city officials. Students who have designed the top six projects present their plans to the City Council at a regular work session. Chehalem Valley teachers Connie Rice and Wendy Halstead use the program as part of the geography curriculum. CV students present to their classes and their project ideas are on display at the City Hall.