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Area students participate in Appalachia Intermediate Unit 8 STEM Keystone Competition

LORETTO -- Students in fifth through 12th grade from 20 schools in Bedford, Blair, Cambria and Somerset counties gathered Wednesday at Saint Francis University's John F. Kennedy Student Center to compete in the second-annual Keystone competition for fun.

The Keystone competition is held throughout the state at several of Pennsylvania's 29 intermediate units, according to Brenda Calhoun, a community engagement specialist for Appalachia Intermediate Unit 8, which partnered with Saint Francis University for the STEM competition.

Upon arrival, students were greeted by state Secretary of Education Carrie Rowe, who challenged them to come up with something that would improve a state park.

After deciding upon their idea as a group, the students then had about an hour and a half to bring their projects to life using cardboard and other supplies to build prototypes before presenting them to a group of judges consisting of IU8 and SFU officials, as well as community members from several local organizations.

The students were organized into teams by three grade bands -- fifth and sixth, seventh and eighth and ninth through 12th. Schools could bring four students per grade band, and each grade band competed for first-, second- and third-place awards.

They were judged for their innovation and creativity; feasibility and technical viability; impact and market potential; and their presentation and communication.

In the fifth and sixth grade band, students at Conemaugh Valley placed third for their trail robot; Richland Elementary took second place for a track and trail smoother project; and Great Commission won first place for creating a track to improve accessibility for visitors with disabilities.

In the seventh and eighth grade band, students at Somerset Area Junior High School placed third for a water filtration device on trails; Northern Cambria Middle School took second place for their Keystone clean waters project; and Holy Name Catholic School of Ebensburg won first place for a "care square" project.

In the ninth through 12th grade band, Shade-Central City School District's "generic high school team No. 1" placed third; Bellwood-Antis High School's "MaBAHS" team took second for its "pathways unlimited" project; and Great Commission's "Bears5" team won first place for its trail guide project.

Bedford Area

Mazzy Carter, a fifth grader at Bedford Area School District, said her team came up with a track system that runs on solar energy to improve Pennsylvania's state parks. She was partnered with fellow fifth graders, Avery Engle and Lila Sevin.

The students said the competition wasn't quite what they anticipated coming into, but the overall experience was "pretty cool."

Sevin said not knowing the challenge ahead of time and coming up with a solution on the spot was all "part of the fun."

Their track system would allow for three or more carts to circulate throughout a state park, giving multiple people a chance to see the environment at once, Carter explained.

"It basically goes around, and it senses when an animal is in the way to keep it from hurting it," she said.

Portage Area

Portage Area sixth graders Ashtyn Phillips, Emma Layo, Ryleigh Marsh and Caiden Angel made a project to improve safety for ski lifts.

Out of the group, Layo is the only one who likes skiing.

"Whenever I go skiing, the thing that I don't like is how unsafe the bars feel because half the time they get stuck. So, we tried to get a project that would help make that more secure and help out with that," Layo said.

Phillips said competing in the event with her classmates was "a little bit nerve wracking" because they had never participated in a competition before and didn't know what to expect.

They used cardboard, popsicle sticks, straws and tape to build their ski lift, which took them right up until the last minute to make, Marsh said.

Angel said he thought the ski lift was a good idea and was proud of the work they accomplished together.

"It would be better for the community, and I just don't want anyone to get hurt. I want them to have fun," Angel said, adding he had fun spending time outside of school.

Great Commission

Students from Great Commission were paired into groups with other students at different grade levels, meaning some of them didn't know their partners from class and used the conference as an opportunity to make new friends.

In one team, freshman Katie Weimer, sophomore Sohan Campbell and senior Payton Garner worked together to develop a robot that could pick up trash and help with pollution.

"It was really fun," Weimer said of competing in the event.

"You have no idea what you're getting yourself into and then you show up and you have a problem, and you just try and solve it," she added.

In another team, sophomore Joel Lohsl was paired with seniors Michaela Edson and Mercy DiBiase, who described their project as "a composing pod toilet design that basically turns human waste into compost to regulate back into the Earth."

Edson said the competition was "a lot of fun."

"We all thought going into this that we were not going to do well at all because none of us have done this before," Edson said.

"Honestly, we just worked really hard together and whenever we put our ideas together, it turned out really well. I feel very confident."

Bellwood-Antis

Bellwood-Antis seventh graders Declan Corle, Mason Stere and Dylan Hescox made a cable system, designed to take a cart of people over a lake. They took inspiration from Glendale Lake at Prince Gallitzin State Park, according to Corle.

Hescox said the cart idea was his.

"I didn't want a roller coaster, but we wanted a cart type of thing," Hescox said.

Stere said competing in the competition "definitely" beats a day of school.

"These guys are a lot of fun, and I enjoy working with them," Stere said of Corle and Hescox.

Tyrone Area

For their project, Tyrone Area eighth graders Silas Benson, Dylan Brasher, Cooper Fogleman and Harper Storm made a circulation system for ponds.

While brainstorming ideas, the students wrote a list of possible scenarios for their project and sketched a design of their pond before creating it by gluing construction paper to cardboard.

Science teacher Mike Whitling said they had about an hour and 15 minutes to come up with their idea and build the project.

"I think they did a phenomenal job," Whitling said. "They had a great idea and definitely worked hard to put this together."

Fogleman and Storm said they enjoyed taking part in the competition.

"We got to work as a team, and it was fun to solve a problem," Storm said.

Mirror Staff Writer Matt Churella is at 814-946-7520.