Congratulations to Steve Lorenz and Hudson’s Bay High School! The horticulture teacher from the school’s Architecture, Construction and Environmental Sciences program is one of five finalists selected from among 3,100 applicants to represent the state of Washington in the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow contest. Lorenz was the only finalist from Vancouver Public Schools and Southwest Washington.
The Solve for Tomorrow contest honors teachers who inspire students; improve their communities; and foster science, technology, engineering and math (also known as STEM) education in their schools.
As a state finalist, Lorenz will receive two Samsung Galaxy Tabs for classroom instruction and access to a professional development course on teaching and learning in the digital age.
He now will compete against the other Washington finalists for the state honor. In the next phase, finalists must submit lesson plans outlining how they can apply STEM to help their local communities. The winning Washington teacher’s school will receive a technology kit to create a video showcasing their solution and a technology package valued at $20,000.
From the state winners, 15 national finalists will be selected and will have their videos placed online for public voting. All national finalists receive a minimum of $35,000 in technology for their schools.
Finally, the 15 national finalists will be narrowed down to five national winners, who will each receive a $120,000 technology grant.