Newberry High Wins Prestigious STEM Competition in South Carolina

State-Level Victory Promises Entry into National Competition

In an impressive show of innovative problem-solving, Newberry High School achieves recognition as the South Carolina state champion for the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow STEM Competition. The victory rewards the school a place among contestants in the national competition.

The Winning Project

An English teacher named Heather Herzog Alexander’s class is credited with the winning initiative. Aiming to address waste management issues within the school, the students noticed onto overflowing trash cans, especially after meals. An alarming volume of approximately 1,440 gallons of trash were generated solely from lunch waste each day, igniting a passion in the students to devise a solution.

The students began the project by separating trash into categories: plastic, food, and others. The team cleverly found a solution to mitigate this waste by converting vegetables, fruits, and paper products into compost. This initiative not only reduces the waste going into landfills but also provides organic nourishment for gardening projects. Plastics are creatively utilized as well, with disposable trays repurposed for art projects until they are worn out, at which point they are used inside concrete pavers.

A Ripple Effect

The innovative project had a contagious influence within the school, inspiring other students to practice responsible waste separation. Commenting on the influence of the initiative, Heather Herzog Alexander praises her students for their leadership in promoting a culture of environmental responsibility within the school.

Samsung Solve for Tomorrow STEM Competition

The competition was initiated in 2010 as a nationwide contest. The competition encourages students from 6th to 12th grade to utilize their STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) knowledge to solve local, real-life problems. Despite the recent decline in STEM scores in classrooms due to the COVID-19 pandemic, interest in local issues has spiked, making participation in the competition even more crucial. Competition organizer Ann Woo compliments Newberry High School students for their initiative, remarking that they “have a great understanding of how initiative and impact can be continuous.”

What’s Next?

Far from concluding, the class project continues to evolve. Students have constructed garden plots and rain barrels from reused plastic with the help of the Newberry Soil and Water Conservation Center. They plan to plant gardenias and other flowers initially, followed by a vegetable garden in the upcoming months.

Award and Progress

Victory in the state competition earns Newberry High a $12,000 worth of technology for their school, courtesy of Samsung. Coming late March will reveal if they have been selected as one of the ten national finalists. Each of these finalists will present their project to a panel in Washington, D.C., in April and will be awarded a $50,000 prize package. The students, mentor, and the whole Newberry community eagerly await these upcoming milestones, proud of how far they have come.