Upon learning the City of St. Paul was seeking input on the River Balcony project, a 1.5 mile promenade that extends along downtown St. Paul's signature Mississippi River bluff and down to the river, high school Human Geography teacher Brian Johnson realized this could provide a unique hands-on opportunity for students to provide input.  The 9th grade students visited the area several times, studied the Great River Passage Master Plan, reviewed similar projects in other cities and interviewed staff, students and community members for their input.  From there, students worked in small groups to formulate a powerpoint presentation of their vision for this unique space.  Last week, officials from the city and the Great River Passage Conservancy listened to all of the students proposals, taking into consideration their suggestions and designs. "This was a real-world opportunity to impact decision makers in our community", said Johnson.  We can't wait to see the end result of the River Balcony project and not only visit there as a school but know that our students helped with its design and creation.