The Iowa Department of Education announced the winners of the Build Iowa’s Future Design Challenge, an opportunity for K-12 students to create innovative projects, connect them to careers and compete for up to $1,000 awards.
Pella High School’s Principles of Engineering class won in the high school division. That group participated in the Iowa Dream and Design Challenge, which involved conceptualizing and designing a project that could improve their community. Nearly 300 students across the state were involved in the 95 submissions turned in by the April 1 deadline. Pella High School received $1,000.
“I used this Build Iowa’s Future Design Challenge to introduce project management to the class,” said Brent Ewell, Pella High School industrial technology instructor, whose team placed first in the high school division. “We spent the first class understanding the scope of the project, identified stakeholders, developed a timeline and the impact of scope creep. At the start of each class, the students gave a quick report on their progress and identified project constraints. Also, the feedback students received from the community survey was amazing. Almost every participant commented on how impressed they were that the students asked for their thoughts on the impact and viability of the project. It was a great learning activity, and I’m thankful for the chance to integrate the Design Challenge into their class.”
The students involved in the project were Isaac Boualavong, Crista Chenoweth, Jack Conrad, Stephen Gaul, Kaysar Lines, Emmalee Spurgeon, Grace Vander Beek, Wyatt Van Dyke, and Jackson Van Kley.
Read more about the project here:
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