Centennial, CO . . . As a graduation requirement, students at ThunderRidge High School must complete a senior project. Last summer,a group of seniors who hadn't yet decided on a project, listened to Highlands Ranch resident Steve Taraborelli's vision for the eventual incorporation of the community. He suggested the students do their project as a business plan targeting the incorporation with a focus on renewable and sustainable energy technologies. Taraborelli said one of his goals is to get Highlands Ranch off the grid by the year 2020.

After the meeting, Andy Furze, John Callahan, Phil Clukies, Kush Argwal and Ashleigh Warntjes, decided to do their projects on renewable energy and alternative fuel. They were the first in the school's history to do a group project. More importantly, they put into place the first steps to completing a business plan for a Highlands Ranch city charter, with energy technology as a basis.

With guidance from Wilbur Sameshima, mathematics teacher and science club sponsor, the students met once a week to work on the project. They will then hand it off to the next class, and over three to five years, ThunderRidge seniors will work on the plan for the future of Highlands Ranch.

"It's an evolutionary project," Sameshima said. "We have a good, solid start with these students. We are thinking globally and working locally."

Sameshima is a University of Colorado engineering graduate. After graduation, he worked for an engineering firm in New Jersey.

"I found out I was a little fish in a big pond," Sameshima said. "And I didn't like sitting at a desk all day. So I came back to Colorado and got my teaching degree."

He's been teaching at ThunderRidge, in the Douglas County School District, for 14 years. Sameshima also participated in a teacher research project at the National Renewable Energy Lab and that inspired him to get involved with renewable and alternative energy.

Students present year-long project

On Tuesday, May 1, Sameshima and the students gathered at the Burt Automotive Network in Centennial to present their project to a large group of South Metro Denver Chamber business professionals. Each student gave a summary of their part of the plan. Furze, who will attend Colorado School of Mines, served as the team leader and spoke about financing the City of the Future.

Warntjes, first scholastically in the class of 2007, will pursue a degree at Colorado School of Mines. She researched alternative fuels that are on the horizon for the automotive industry.

"Eventually, the highest aim for scientists are hydrogen fuel cell vehicles which will produce the least amount of emissions," Warntjes said. "Right now, we've got to help create a mindset for residents to use alternative fuel cars."

A native of India, Argwal will attend a summer internship and then go on to Colorado School of Mines. He addressed wind and solar as alternative energy sources.

Both John Callahan and Phil Clukies played football and baseball for the Grizzlies as seniors, and Clukies is on his way to the University of Colorado. Callahan, who would like to play baseball in college, hasn't decided what he'll do next school year. He said the group spoke to the Highlands Ranch Community Association, the Highlands Ranch Metro Districts and Shea Homes to get ideas of where land might be available to build a laboratory and a wind farm.

"This is a huge project and it's going to take a lot of planning and organization," Callahan said.

Incorporation and clean technology

One of the goals, according to Taraborelli, is to reduce the city's reliance on foreign oil and increase revenues through partnerships with alternative fuel companies and other product manufacturers. Highlands Ranch could possibly be incorporated by 2009.

"If incorporation does come about, voters should have an alternative energy choice," Tarborelli said. "They should be able to vote for a clean technology."

The Burt Automotive Network donated $5,000 to the student's projects and hosted the reception. The business professionals enjoyed what the next generation had to say.

"The kids were great - inspiring in fact," Rich Behr, president of Investment Management Consultants, said. "We all could make a difference by starting first with the small things in our own lives."

The Chamber and the Burt Automotive Network worked with Xcel Energy, the Ford Motor Company, GMAC Mortgage, Car Toys and the National Rewnewable Energy Lab in Golden to sponsor the project.

"This is a really important issue and we salute the students for their ideas," Chamber president John Brackney said.

For more information on the project, please call 303-795-0142 or visit www.hrcleantech.com.