More than 1,000 students from the division’s elementary, middle and high schools put their skills in robotics, entrepreneurship and cyber security to the test at the school division’s ninth annual STEM Trifecta Thursday, June 8. The event is the culmination of a yearlong initiative that engages students in grades K-12 in afterschool STEM activities.
Students worked together in teams to compete in one of three Trifecta events – Cyber Innovation and Security Challenge, Maker Challenge and Robotics Challenge. Award winners were named in each category after various rounds of competition.
In the Cyber Innovation and Security Challenge, new last year, elementary and middle school students had to identify an unmet or undermet need in education that could be solved using programming. Student teams developed their solution using the Raspberry Pi as their platform and Scratch or Python coding and presented a working prototype and digital story to judges at the Trifecta. At the high school level, students worked in teams of two to three people to secure and defend a digital infrastructure against security threats and exploited vulnerabilities.
The following teams won awards in the Cyber Innovation and Security Challenge:
Elementary School Cyber Innovation Awards:
- First Place: CodeMasters, Strawbridge Elementary
- Second Place: Bayside Survivors, Bayside Elementary
- Third Place: Code for a Cause, Strawbridge Elementary
Middle School Cyber Innovation Awards:
- First Place: Cyber Nuggets, Princess Anne Middle
- Second Place: Team 1, Old Donation School
- Third Place: Acolympians, Old Donation School
High School Cyber Security Awards:
- First Place: Cyber Dolphins, Ocean Lakes High
- First Place: Netstorm, Advanced Technology Center
- Second Place: A Team, Landstown High
- Third Place: Tallsomke, Advanced Technology Center
In the Maker Challenge, student entrepreneurs had to create a 3D printed product that uses adaptive technology to solve a problem faced by students in their schools. They pitched their respective products to a panel of judges in hopes of winning their “investment.”
Winning teams in the Maker Challenge were:
Pitch Deck Winner (all school levels)
- Great Neck Middle School
Elementary School Maker Challenge Awards:
- First Place: Wave Riders, Ocean Lakes Elementary
- Second Place: Dope Dawgs, Williams Elementary
- Third Place: 4 Creators, Thoroughgood Elementary
- Honorable Mention: The Nerds, Creeds Elementary
Middle School Maker Challenge Awards:
- First Place: Digital Designers, Great Neck Middle
- Second Place: 3-D Musketeers, Virginia Beach Middle
- Third Place: The Last Straw, Larkspur Middle
- Honorable Mention: Fetch-um Team, Plaza Middle
High School Maker Challenge Awards:
- First Place: Brainiacs, Ocean Lakes High
- Second Place: 3D Devils, Salem High
- Third Place: Senior Team, Technical and Career Education Center
The Robotics Challenge, also known this year as the VBCPS Beach Cup Soccer Challenge, featured a sports theme. Elementary, middle and high school teams controlled student-designed robots capable of striking, kicking and grasping a soccer ball using code students programmed. Points were awarded based on their successful completion of the timed task.
Award winners in the Robotics Challenge were:
Grand Champion (all school levels)
- Grand Champion: Duct Tape VI, Princess Anne High School
- Runner-up: Headers, King’s Grant Elementary School
Demonstrated Work with Advanced Sensor Technology (all school levels)
- Hermitage Elementary School
Best All Around Teams
- Best All Around Elementary School: Headers, King’s Grant Elementary
- Runner-up Elementary School: Gear Goalies, Ocean Lakes Elementary
- Best All Around Middle School: Daarek, Great Neck Middle
- Runner-up Middle School: MEME Team, Princess Anne Middle
- Best All Around High School: Duct Tape VI, Princess Anne High
- Runner-up High School: Soulless Robotics, Kellam High
E-portfolio Winners, Elementary School
- First Place: Circuit Breakers, Fairfield Elementary
- Second Place: Pi-Thons, Thoroughgood Elementary
- Third Place: Brain Bots, Landstown Elementary
E-portfolio Winners, Middle School
- First Place: MEME Team, Princess Anne Middle School
- Second Place: Robo Raiders, Landstown Middle School
- Third Place: The 8th Grade STEM Team, Larkspur Middle School
E-portfolio Winners, High School
- First Place: Team Animatron, Salem High School
- Second Place: Team Duct Tape VI, Princess Anne High School
- Third Place: Team Malware, Cox High School
Visit the VBSchools Facebook page to view more photos from the 2017 STEM Trifecta.