CCSD Middle School Students Advance to Statewide STEM Contest

Cherokee County School District middle schoolers recently tested their STEM knowledge through a districtwide competition, and three students are advancing to state competition!

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

Congratulations to our winners and their teacher coaches and thank you to our School Board for its continued investment in STEM learning and opportunities for academic competition!

CCSD’s two entries headed to the state competition next month at The Water Tower in Buford are: district first-place winner, Xavier Page of Freedom Middle School for “The Octopus’ Garden,” $300 prize, teacher Edwin Rodriguez; and second-place winners, Lincoln Nguyen and Jackson White of Woodstock Middle School for “The Big C Tower,” $200 prize, teacher Joi Marques.

Third-place honors went to the team of Atlas Walker-Bunda, Chris Larsen, Kash O’Brien, and Bryce Parrott of Freedom MS for “Tomato Tower,” $100 prize, teacher Edwin Rodriguez.

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, with special prizes awarded by CCWSA:

Outstanding Achievement in Artistic Design: Aida Brown and Willow Franks of E.T. Booth MS for “It’s a Cow Christmas,” $25 prize for each student, teacher Kara Reeder;

“Outside the Box” Imagination: Abe Green Lee, Emerson Jones, and Kayla Nguyen of E.T. Booth MS for “Mario’s Tower,” $25 prize for each student, teacher Kara Reeder;

Outstanding Presentation/Judges’ Choice: Ximena Ibarra, Bentley Lightbourne, Dalton Myers, and David Roberts of Creekland MS for “Dr. Pepper,” $25 prize for each student, teacher Eric Norris;

Cost Effectiveness: Kendall Clark, Anna Lynn Colbert, Chelsea Gough, and Rian Webb of Teasley MS for the “The Dinos,” $25 prize for each student, teacher Ashley Whitmire;

Structural Excellence: Landen Adams, William Boynton, and Gaius Hughes of Creekland MS for “Bubblegum,” $25 prize for each student, teacher Eric Norris; and,

Outstanding Achievement in Engineering Design: Austin Goetze and Caden Holmes of Woodstock MS for “The Abandoned State Building,” $25 prize for each student, teacher Joi Marques.

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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