A group of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math students from Manning High School won a statewide competition testing their skills.
Known as CurryLabs, the class won out of more than two dozen entrants in the 2015 This School's Got STEM competition sponsored by Comporium and presented by S.C. Future Minds and S²TEM Centers of South Carolina.
The CurryLabs entry featured students who were assigned a mission by “Secret Agent Williams” to design, build and test balloon-powered cars in order to solve a recent crime in a South Carolina bank.
After being declared one of five statewide finalists, CurryLabs received the most votes through two weeks of voting on the South Carolina Future Minds Facebook page.
As winner, the group receives $500 and recognition at the upcoming S.C. Teacher of the Year Celebration April 22 in Columbia.
Second place went to Lee Central High School of Lee County School District, which featured two students trying to create a toy for a child in day care. The students explored concepts in basic statistics during their construction efforts. Saluda Trail STEM Middle School in the Rock Hill School District won third place, for students who worked to create an edible car.
Other Finalists were
• Crossroads Middle School of School District 5 of Lexington and Richland counties. Students used a 3-D printer to create and assemble a prosthetic hand for a Charleston student.
• Tyler Wrenn of the Center for Advanced Technical Studies in School District 5 of Lexington and Richland counties. Wrenn used bio mimicry to optimize underwater turbines that he hopes will be more energy efficient.
To view the videos, go to the South Carolina Future Minds Facebook page and click on “This School’s Got STEM 2015.”
Finalists were selected with help from members of the S²TEM Centers of South Carolina and representatives of South Carolina’s STEM businesses and industries, including GE, Michelin, Fluor and Comporium. Voting then began on South Carolina Future Minds Facebook page where the winner received the most votes.
First, second and third places will receive $500, $250 and $100, respectively, with the winner’s representatives receiving an invitation to attend the S.C. Teacher of the Year Celebration to be held April 22 in Columbia.
The contest was free to enter, and open to any public school student in South Carolina in kindergarten through 12th grade. To enter, adults 18 or older submitted videos that would wow judges for their use of STEM skills. Videos could not exceed five minutes in length.
Earlier, Andrew Wilkerson of Cheraw High School in Chesterfield County School District was voted winner of Comporium’s This School’s Got Talent online video competition. He has earned the opportunity to perform live before top education, business and government leaders at the S.C. Teacher of the Year Celebration.
The This School’s Got STEM competition is an outgrowth of a similar competition created two years ago by S²TEM Centers of South Carolina, which is based at Clemson University.
