In an innovative blend of education and community engagement, sixth graders at Haut Gap Middle School have taken a creative leap by designing the future Johns Island Recreation Center using the popular game Minecraft. This initiative, part of a month-long competition, allowed students to envision a 50,000-square-foot facility that includes a variety of imaginative features such as a water slide, a greenhouse, and even an axolotl aquarium.
Creative Designs and Community Connection
Brett Sheridan, the career training education teacher at Haut Gap, sought a project that would connect his students with their community. When he learned about the city’s plans for the recreation center, he recognized a unique opportunity for his students to contribute their ideas. The winning design, crafted by Colin White, Hart Anderson, Elijah Robertson, and Russell Thiem, was presented to the City Council last month.
The city provided the students with the basic layout for the center, which will feature a 25-meter swimming pool, a therapy pool, a yoga studio, and several indoor courts for basketball, volleyball, and pickleball. Outdoor amenities will include additional pickleball courts, a basketball court, a playground, and a splash pad. The students meticulously rendered these elements in their digital designs, even down to the intricate striping on the basketball courts.
In their imaginative world, the students adapted the limitations of the game to create a unique vision. For instance, they used spider webs as netting for the basketball hoops and snowballs as basketballs. Instead of a traditional treadmill, they designed a rowing machine inspired by the game’s iconic wooden boat.
Encouraged to infuse personal touches into their designs, Thiem incorporated a greenhouse and extensive landscaping, drawing inspiration from his mother, a landscape architect. “I wanted to create a space that felt inviting and connected to nature,” he explained.
Engagement with City Officials
When asked about their favorite feature, Robertson enthusiastically pointed to the water slide, although he humorously noted that any real-life version should prioritize safety over the game’s design, which involves a mine cart plunging off a two-story roller coaster into the pool. “In the game, you can just eat some lava chicken to heal,” he added, referencing a fictional dish from last year’s blockbuster, A Minecraft Movie.
City Councilman Jim McBride, along with other officials, evaluated the students’ designs. While the city may not implement the more whimsical elements, McBride expressed a desire to see some of the students’ ideas come to fruition elsewhere on Johns Island, such as a much-needed dog park. “I want the students to know their input matters,” he emphasized. “Even if you’re in sixth or seventh grade, your ideas can make a difference.”
After the presentation, Mayor William Cogswell lightheartedly requested a “motion to approve the upgraded budget for this new rec center.” The construction of the Johns Island center, alongside the renovation of the W.L. Stephens Aquatic Center in West Ashley, will be funded through a million bond referendum approved by voters in 2023. Although the exact costs are still being determined, city officials anticipate breaking ground in October, with an estimated 18-month construction timeline.
Looking ahead, Sheridan plans to replicate this successful project with a new group of students. “It’s more than just a game,” he remarked. “It’s about preparing them for jobs that don’t even exist yet.” Thiem, who aspires to be an engineer, shared his enthusiasm for using Minecraft to create designs he hopes to realize in the real world.
