CCSD Middle School Students Succeed at Annual STEM Contest

Teasley MS students Hunter Hamby and Sarah Vehar placed third in the state for their tower called Submarine Diver and earned a $300 prize.  Their STEM teacher is Ashley Whitmire.

Cherokee County School District middle schoolers recently tested their STEM knowledge through a countywide competition, and one team advanced to earn third place in the state.  

The annual Georgia Association of Water Professionals’ Model Water Tower Competition, sponsored for CCSD by the Cherokee County Water and Sewerage Authority, gives seventh-graders the opportunity to plan, design and build a water tower.  

The top six towers from each CCSD middle school advanced to the district-level competition at which their tower designs were tested for hydraulic and structural efficiency.  Groups also were judged on cost effectiveness, design ingenuity and interview skills.  

The top two towers advanced to the state competition recently held at The Water Tower in Buford, and Teasley MS students Hunter Hamby and Sarah Vehar placed third in the state for their tower called Submarine Diver and earned a $300 prize.  Their STEM teacher is Ashley Whitmire.

Congratulations to the winners of the district-level competition:

First place: Arcadian Freund, Holt Wasdin and Andrew Warrick of E.T. Booth MS for Paw Patrol, teacher Kara Reeder, $300 prize
Second place: Hunter Hamby and Sarah Vehar of Teasley MS for Submarine Diver, teacher Ashley Whitmire, $200 prize

Third place: Gianna Apaloo, Lordess Brown, Nevaeh Hill and Ava Villalobos of E.T. Booth MS for Piglet, teacher Kara Reeder, $100 prize

Outstanding Achievement in Artistic Design: Sophie Bially, Sarah Olvin, Ella Prater and Teagan Rauch of Freedom MS for Sugar Swirl Summit, teacher Lindsay Loden, $25 prizes
“Outside the Box” Imagination: Waylon Camp, Noah Crawford, Bentley Gibson, Luke Spiker and Emily Tawfiq of Woodstock MS for Super Mario, teacher Stephanie Vidrine, $25 prizes
Outstanding Presentation/ Judges’ Choice: Lilah Renninger and Rielle Tew of Freedom MS for Stay Hydrated, teacher Lindsay Loden, $25 prizes
Cost Effectiveness: Gabe Cole, Christian Gonzales, Eli Martinez and David Perie of Dean Rusk MS for Space Explorers, teacher Teresa Hutto, $25 prizes
Structural Excellence: Haven Clancy, Phalleya Poam and Ryley Mae Woodall of Woodstock MS for Jellyfish, teacher Stephanie Vidrine, $25 prizes
Outstanding Achievement in Engineering Design: Mason Boughner, Garrison Breaux, Cole Gunter and Caleb Marion of Creekland MS for Sun Planets, teacher Connie Garrison, $25 prizes
Build-a-Water-Filter Challenge: Drew Borrusch of Woodstock MS, Sarah Olvin of Freedom MS and Sarah Ray of Mill Creek MS, $25 prizes

CCSD middle school STEM teachers implemented the tower project into their seventh-grade, third-quarter classes.  Water professionals visited the classes to teach students about tower design, structure and functionality.  The towers entered into the countywide competition were evaluated by industry professionals, who also interviewed the students.  Students participated in STEM activities between presentations.  

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