“Project Synergy” is giving Ridgeland High School students a voice in Rossville’s future.

For the past month, more than 300 students at the school have been busy creating a concept that could theoreti-cally “Bring a New Life to the City we Love,” as one of the project titles reads.

The effort was sponsored by Rossville Downtown Development Authority, which also held a community-based “Rossville Renaissance” meeting in November. Those attending that meeting were polled on their desires for the future of Rossville.

In the months that followed the “Renaissance” meeting, the Development Authority decided to see what the next generation had in mind, getting the concept from Dade County which completed its Project Synergy last year, ac-cording to Bobby McNabb, a member of the Development Authority. McNabb is also vice president of Rossville High School Alumni Association.

Students created the six-part assignments, similar to a formal business plan, including giving a presentation of their concept to the community and classmates.

“The excitement it has generated from students, teachers and the community has been just phenomenal,” said Robert Smith, Ridgeland High principal.

“I was just amazed at the creativity and the vision of these students,” Rossville mayor Johnny Baker said.

Many of the students focused on utilizing empty buildings and renewing the vitality which they only hear about in their parents’ stories of long ago.

“It was just a hoppin’ little place to be, and hopefully it can get back to like it was,” Shelley Frady said.

Frady’s daughter Meagan won the $100 grand prize, awarded by the judges on Thursday night, March 4, for her plans to beautify John Ross Park.

Her plan eliminated the chain link fencing for a split-rail fence, keeping a historical appearance to the area with the hopes of it becoming a family destination within the city.

Frady’s plan came not only from her memory but from her heart.

“I wanted to make the park look better so other people could enjoy it like it was when I was little with my daddy,” Meagan said. Her father died in May.

Other projects focused on the fact that the teens are spending their entertainment dollars anywhere but Ross-ville.

The students’ concepts ranged from a bowling alley/movie complex, to an internet café, to an adventure center and hotel.

Tyler Forrester had a historical revisioning of war-time “victory gardens,” with Rossville families growing some of their own food in a large collaborative co-op that would help to teach children about healthy foods.

Amber Burnham and Alisha Caissie created “Water World,” not like the water-logged 1995 Kevin Costner movie, but rather a public pool that includes waterslides and other fun activitities for children of all ages. Their project won the People’s Choice award.

Local community members, including several from the Development Authority, judged the students’ projects, which were similar to the suggested concepts from the November Renaissance meeting with citizens.

Upscale dining was an interest for the teens, presumably for proms, along with the adults who put it on the “top five” list of things to revitalize Rossville.

Diverse-niche shopping stores seemed to bridge a gap between teens and parents, who seem interested in mall-type shopping that will benefit the community, instead of neighboring Tennessee.

“When you have that kind of creativity, you want to help foster something to happen,” Development Authority chairman Ron Wade said.

A luncheon is being planned for the four winners of the project, in which the Development Authority will begin an action plan that may turn a few of the students’ projects into reality.