Special to The Beacon WAYCROSS — The Brantley County School System collected 21 firstplace medals during the 10th annual Okefenokee Technology Competition here on the campus of South Georgia State College.
Student’s in the school system brought home 43 medals overall. Following the 21 winners were 15 in second-place and seven finishing third. There were 211 other students representing 19 schools in surrounding counties.
Finishing first in 3D Modeling were Micah Boyce (3rd/4th, Hoboken Elementary), Ally Taylor (5th/6th, HES) and Jack Blount (7th/8th, Brantley Middle).
Jack Harris (3rd/4th, Nahunta Primary) was first in Animation. Taking top honors in Audio Production were the team of Greyson Burch and Arlen Lattanzie (3rd/4th, HES) and the team of Orion Holsinger and Eric Nolasco Perez (7th/8th, BCMS). Also placing first were Hayden Altman (5th/6th, HES) and Greyson Winder (11th/12th, BCHS).
Carson Wampler and Cadeyn Wampler (5th/6th, HES) captured the Device Modification division. Slylar Pollice and Ryder White (5th/6th, Nahunta Elementary) won Digital Game Design as did Bella Davis (7th/8th, BCMS).
The teams of Eliza Barber and Kinley Dixon (3rd/4th, NPS) and Sophia Thrift and Annie Mae Strickland (5th/6th, HES) were tops in Digital Photo Production.
Winning in the Graphic Design division were Kinsley O’Neal (3rd/4th, HES) and Ryder Minchew (5th/6th, HES). Waylon Wilkerson (3rd/4th, HES) finished first in the Mobile Apps division.
The team of Holland Gunter and Emory Lee (5th/6th, HES) won Productivity Design. Placing first in Robotics were Payeton Blount (3rd/4th, HES) and the team of Jaelynn Cauley and Elin Cecil (5th/6th, HES).
Grabbing top honors in Video Production were Hudson Stone (3rd/4th, HES) and the team of Braylee Howell and Ella McCarthy (5th/6th, HES).
The first-place winners will compete at the Georgia Student Technology Competition (GASTC) in Mc-Donough.
Brantley County had 77 students competing with projects in a variety of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) fields in grade bands 3rd/4th, 5th/6th, 7th/8th, and high school levels.
Students competed in 14 different technology project categories and earn valuable experience and knowledge that introduces them to STEM career pathways and skills.
The emphasis on exploratory STEM learning in the school system from primary through high school has prepared students with opportunities for college degrees and immediate job opportunities in fields such as film, audio production, engineering, graphic and game design, and more.
“The tech competition provides real-world opportunities to create and present in a field students are passionate about,” said Media Specialists Kailee Rowell. “We are preparing Brantley County children for the future by allowing them the opportunity to take part in experiential learning as they work on their projects, which in turn, lays the foundation our children need to thrive in an ever-advancing age of technology.”
