Pictured above, from left: Kassie Wielenback, Cedric Hitzeman, Brittney Hauff and teacher Steve Lorenz.
After rising above their Washington state competitors and 14 other schools from across the country, Hudson’s Bay High School recently clinched one of five top spots in the 2014-15 Samsung Solve for Tomorrow contest.
Hudson’s Bay was the only school selected by Samsung employees, after an in-person presentation in New York in March. The other four national winners were chosen through either online voting or by a panel of judges.
All national award winners will receive technology packages valued at $120,000. The teams also are invited to an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C.
The Hudson’s Bay team, led by horticulture teacher Steve Lorenz and students Kassie Wielenback, Brittney Hauff and Cedric Hitzeman, is using mushroom mycelia to reclaim cardboard waste and produce mushrooms that can be used for growing kits, as food additives or for large-scale recycling.
Hudson’s Bay teacher Randy Howard and students Josh Steele, Nate Adams and Nathaniel Steinauer helped the team create an informational video that factored into the selection of the top five winners.
Samsung’s Solve for Tomorrow contest gives schools across the U.S. the opportunity to raise interest in science, technology, engineering and math subjects among students.