St Albans City School named state winner in $2 million* national STEAM competition from Samsung

Vermont Business Magazine

 

 

 

What:

St Albans City School in Saint Albans has been named the Vermont state winner in the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Contest, a program that encourages teachers and students to solve real-world issues in their community using classroom skills in science, technology, engineering and math (STEAM).

 

St Albans City School is among the nation’s 51 state winners (representing all 50 states and Washington, DC) and will receive a minimum of $25,000* in Samsung technology for their achievement, and the 10 schools that progress to the national finalist stage will compete for the next round of prizes. The state winners were selected from thousands of schools representing communities across the country.

 

Each state winner will create a video showcasing their proposed solution to the local problem – all with a share of $2 million on the line.

 

Who:

Vermont State Winner and Details:

  • St Albans City School in Saint Albans
  • Matt Bresler, middle school science teacher and his students

Project Overview:

Local Problem: In the small town of Saint Albans City, students reported in a recent survey that “lack of fun activities and interesting places to go” is a major problem facing their community that contributes to other issues such as drug abuse and crime.

 

Proposed Project: Matt Bresler and his students will use STEAM skills to design a mobile app that identifies current resources and events for community members of all ages in the city.

 

Future Contest Stages:

All 51 state winners will work on their projects and submit their video in Feb 2018, in hopes of advancing in the contest to proceed through the following remaining phases:

  • National finalists: 10 national finalists will be selected to attend a Pitch Event where they will present their project to a panel of judges. For achieving national finalist status, 7 schools will receive a $50,000* Samsung technology package. The other three will progress to the national winner stage.
  • National grand prize winners: 3 national winners will be selected, and each will receive a $150,000* Samsung technology package.
  • Community Choice Award: All of the 10 national finalists will be eligible to win an additional $20,000* Samsung technology package based on social media voting.

 

Interview Opportunities:

Matt Bresler and his students are available for interviews about the local issue they’re working to solve and the importance of hands-on STEAM learning.