PINEVILLE, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Pineville Middle School in Wyoming County has been named two of 300 State Finalists in the 13th annual Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Competition, receiving a $2,500 prize package for each project.
Solve for Tomorrow is a national competition that challenges U.S. public school students in grades 6-12 to explore the role science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) can play in solving some of the biggest issues in their local communities.
Pineville Middle school has two projects moving to the next round of the contest.
One project consists of solving the problem of flood waste removal and reuse in the area. The other consists of recycling school buses sustainably into usable greenhouses.
Amanda Mullins, a teacher at Pineville Middle, says that the two projects are currently being led by the 8th graders. “One of the two projects addresses flooding in the area and the several acres [of] large islands of garbage that are created downstream at RD Bailey from the Guyandotte,” Mullins said.
“It often takes a month for them to remove the waste and sort driftwood and plastic by hand. They will work on creating a better system of sorting, and would like to focus on taking plastic from that waste, shaving or grinding it, and creating new useful products from the waste,” Mullins stated.
On another project, students will remodel a retired school bus and turn it into a greenhouse.
Students will blueprint and build the green bus, and use it to promote local gardening and hopefully use more buses to have green buses throughout the county and beyond.
Pineville Middle has been National Finalists in this contest twice in the past, resulting in more money and technology being awarded to the school.
Mullins says that she is very thankful for programs like this. “These programs are very near and dear to my heart, and are opportunities for our students to grow interests outside of school,” she explained.
Wyoming County has four other projects in the running. Brittany Bauer at Wyoming East High and Brittany Baker from Huff Consolidated was also named State Finalists.
“I’m incredibly proud of my county and the name that we are making for ourselves and our students in the world of STEM. Many rural schools don’t have the opportunities that we work hard to provide to our kids,” Mullins concluded.
After this phase of the competition, 50 State Winners will advance to the next phase and receive $20,000 in technology and supplies, as well as a video kit to help document their project in action.
Furthermore, one of the 50 State Winners will be chosen as the Sustainability Innovation Award Winner, receiving an additional $50,000 prize package of eco-conscious classroom technology.