Sky’s the Limit: RHS Students Launch Designs for Future Birch Park

Creative minds, bold ideas, and a classroom that reaches into the heart of the community

When Rifle’s newest park opens on Birch Avenue, visitors might just walk through a paper airplane archway,  soar on a zipline, or emerge above the clouds on a climbing wall—all thanks to the imagination and ingenuity of Rifle High School students.

In a partnership that blends real-world learning with civic impact, students from Leanne Richel’s engineering class were invited by the City of Rifle’s Parks and Recreation Department to help design custom play structures and a signature entryway for the new park. The theme? “The Sky Is the Limit.”

“This is where learning leaves the classroom and becomes something more,” said Richel. “We had other projects planned, but when this opportunity to work on something that could directly impact our community came up, we couldn’t pass it up. The students were excited to show what they could do.”

Working under real design constraints—such as weather resistance, compatibility with pour-in-place safety surfacing, and the park’s overall theme—students used CAD software to create concept drawings, built 3D models, developed slide decks, and pitched their ideas to Rifle Parks and Recreation staff.

Parks and Recreation Director Austin Rickstrew was impressed.

“The students’ contributions have provided valuable insights into how we can create unique and engaging elements for the space,” Rickstrew said. He added that he believes there are several promising submissions. He and his team are working to see if any of these can be incorporated into the park's design and construction. 

For the students, it was more than an assignment—it was a chance to dream big and give back.

“I thought it was really exciting that they were asking us for our ideas,” said David Fabela, who plans on becoming an aerospace engineer. “I created an entryway with control towers and paper airplanes so that everyone—kids and adults—can imagine they’re flying into the sky.”

Ty Clark designed a paper airplane zipline. 

“I wanted kids to feel like they’re flying through the sky. I wanted kids to be able to get a little closer to their dreams of flying.  I’ve seen playgrounds with cool features in other states and thought, ‘Let’s bring that to Rifle.’ It’s designed to be a control tower coming out of a cloud.”

Mirna Arreola’s climbing wall lets kids rise into the clouds. 

“I’ve always loved clouds and the way they spark your imagination. I wanted the experience to feel like you’re climbing into the sky—all the fun shapes and colors. The point of this design was to be like you're in the clouds and you're following this plane that's flying up and away and then falling back into a pile of soft clouds.”

These designs aren’t just fun—they're the embodiment of the Garfield Re-2 Profile of a Graduate. In this project, students demonstrate what it means to be academically prepared, empowered individuals, and connected to the community. They’re problem-solving, collaborating, presenting to civic leaders, and contributing meaningfully to the place they call home.

All three are considering engineering: David, aerospace, Ty, agricultural, and Mirna, biomedical.  They were thrilled to share their visions, and even more excited to be asked to contribute to their community.

“I thought it would be cool to give inspiration to other kids from high schoolers,” said David. “It’s not every day your community asks you to help design a park.”

“This project really put into perspective how much this community and school have done for me,” added Ty. “It is my chance to give something back.”

Mirna agreed. “I got to be a kid again. I got to design something that my younger self would like to see in a park, and get to be part of something that will be in this town for years—it’s special. This school gave me so many opportunities, and this was one more way to grow—not just in school, but beyond.”

Final design decisions are expected in May, with construction documents complete by June. No matter what final features make it into the park, one thing is clear: the future of Rifle is in creative, compassionate, and capable hands.