Several Octorara students scored high marks for their ingenuity and creativity at the Chester County STEM design challenge held at the Chester County Intermediate Unit in Downingtown, including one fifth-grade team, which will advance to the state competition.

As part of the annual challenge, held this year on March 31, students were asked to solve the following problem: "Major environmental issues, including climate change and pollution are currently facing our world. Your team is being tasked to research environmental issues, identify one that your team would like to address, and create a solution to that issue. Build a prototype out of K'Nex that supports your solution."

"They give (the students) the problem in December, and then the kids work in teams of three to four to solve the problem," explained Christine Gray, the gifted support teacher at Octorara Intermediate School (OIS). "They have to brainstorm and use the design thinking process, and they have to do research, create blueprints, create an engineering journal and do a presentation."

Gray explained that students created a prototype, which they rebuilt at the competition. "When they get to the challenge, they have to rebuild their project in two hours from scratch. They bring the materials with them and re-create their design, and then they have a presentation to a panel of judges," she said.

Gray noted that all student team members work on problem solving together. "I coach them, but it is their idea," she stated. "They all have to do the presentation, (and) they all have to help with the building. It is a team approach. There is not necessarily a leader. They collaborate throughout the whole process."

One fifth-grade team from OIS, called Team Seas, created the Ocean Olympian, a vehicle that can travel on land and in water to eliminate plastic and other waste found in the ocean. Students Jack Bierlein, Jack McGinnis and Andrew Mitman placed first in the fourth- and fifth-grade division and will move on to the state level in Harrisburg on Friday, May 12.

The other OIS fifth-grade team, Team Trees, created the Plant Producer, a robot that tackles the issue of deforestation. Students Oliver Chappell, Robert Kersetter, Avery Remphrey and Claire S. placed second in the fourth- and fifth-grade division.

The sixth-grade OIS team, the Clean Up Crew, created a dock that combated oil spills, noise pollution and waste in the ocean. Students Raymond Cooper, Michael Flowers, Chloe Jurich and Colten Sterner placed second in the sixth- through eighth-grade division.

The seventh- and eighth-grade team from Octorara Junor-Senior High School created C.A.T., the Collecting and Altering Trash vehicle, designed to collect trash from the highways to be recycled into environmentally friendly products like bricks for construction. Students Mary Flowers, Sawyer Grocki, Riley Miller and Conner Semple placed third in the seventh- and eighth-grade division.