Students win $12K technology prize in STEM competition by helping classmate with special needs

By Jennifer Franciotti

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    LOTHIAN, Maryland (WBAL) — Some middle school students in Anne Arundel County are trying to solve a problem for one of their peers who uses a wheelchair. By doing so, they won a major award for their school, and it has qualified them for a nationwide competition.

Southern Middle School students and their science teacher, Jenna Borman, are working on a prototype desk that they hope to attach to the wheelchair of their classmate, Kenneth, who has a progressive neurological disease and uses a laptop as his primary means of communication.

“Currently, the iPad is in a pretty heavy case and has a strap that goes around his neck and a handle on the back of it for him to hold. When he’s seated, it kind of just lays in his lap. It’s not very easy for him to use,” Borman told 11 News.

“Kenneth always has to hold his iPad, and so this project is going to help him just set it there so his hands are free,” said Julia Baker, a classmate.

What started off as an engineering after-school program has turned into an award-winning idea. The students recently won a statewide Science Technology Engineering Math (STEM) competition by Samsung called “Solve for Tomorrow,” which came with $12,000 worth of technology for the school.

“We thought it was just an idea for Kenny, and then we won. So, it was like, wow,” said Avery Willet, a classmate.

“This whole project is really teaching us about how to work together and how we can help other people and not just us,” said Everleigh Finnelle, a classmate.

“I learned how to work with others and a lot of teamwork so that we could make this project the best it could be,” said Haley Brown, a classmate.

The team is working on the prototype, making adjustments so it works perfectly for Kenny. The final design is not due for the national competition until next month.

“We’re really most looking forward to seeing him using it and all of our work into it,” Finnelle told 11 News.

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