Grand Forks' Community High School selected as state winner for Samsung Solve for Tomorrow STEM competition

Meghan Arbegast, Grand Forks Herald
·2 min read

Mar. 24—GRAND FORKS — Community High School, of Grand Forks, will receive a prize package of at least $12,000 in technology and school supplies after being selected as the state winner for North Dakota in the 13th annual Samsung Solve for Tomorrow STEM competition.

According to a press release, the annual competition "challenges public school students in grades 6-12 to explore the role science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) subjects play in addressing issues of vital concern in their local communities."

"Every year, Samsung Solve for Tomorrow entries provide a unique snapshot of the concerns and issues on the minds of America's students — identifying what they perceive as pressing community issues they want to help solve," Ann Woo, senior director corporate citizenship, Samsung Electronics America, said in the press release.

Woo said that what especially stood out was "how frequently global issues of environmental sustainability found relevance in a local community issue our students wanted to address." A quarter of all submissions fell into that category, Woo said.

According to the press release, the state winners will now continue on to nationals and will receive a video production kit from Samsung to help document the STEM project. The project will need to be submitted for review by Wednesday, April 5. Based on video submissions, 10 national finalists will be selected to pitch their project to a team of judges during an in-person event in May.

Samsung Solve for Tomorrow will then name three schools as national winners. The winners will receive $100,000 in prize packages comprised of Samsung Technology and classroom supplies. One of the 50 state winners will also be honored as the Sustainability Innovation Award Winner, and will receive an additional $50,000 prize package of eco-conscious classroom technology.

For their project, Community High School students are creating year-round gardens in an urban setting.