HOWELL – Students from Howell excelled against 1,200 of the brightest students from across the country in a national competition that tested their engineering aptitude and their mathematics and science skills.
In National Harbor, Md., on July 2, the Howell students learned that the combined score of their digital media, design/build challenge, mathematical computations and prepared presentation set them on a course for national accolades, according to a press release.
The Tests of Engineering Aptitude, Mathematics and Science (TEAMS) is an annual competition for middle school and high school students that is designed to help them discover their potential for engineering.
This year, 171 teams from across the country brought more than 1,200 students to challenge each other in a bid to be recognized as the best in the nation. Howell was well represented with 30 students, according to the press release.
This year’s topic was “The Engineering Brain.”
Two middle school teams and one high school team, guided by adviser Josh Langenberger, prepared a promotional video to educate residents about a viable location for the testing of autonomous vehicles, program an autonomous vehicle to navigate an on-site course, complete college-level engineering mathematical computations, and prepare a presentation to forecast an innovative evolution of artificial intelligence with global benefits, according to the press release.
Debbie Sales, the adviser from Howell Middle School North, had two qualifying teams at the state level and brought one of them to nationals.
The results placed Howell among the best school districts in the United States, according to the press release. Langenberger’s eighth grade team was awarded honors as third best in the nation and his seventh grade team was awarded honors as fourth best in the nation.
Langenberger’s high school team earned honors as third best in the nation in the 9/10 division; that team was the middle school TEAMS best in nation winner in 2018, according to the press release.
Other accolades included the national “Fan Favorite” award for prepared presentation for Langenberger’s eighth grade and high school team. Sales’ team placed sixth in the nation for digital media.
Representing Howell Middle School South’s eighth grade team were Dante Morisi, Connor Morin, Sebastian Ortega, Daniel Campanella, Matt Cedar, Brian Askin, Richie Shenton and Ryan Shenton.
Representing Howell Middle School South’s seventh grade team were Cassidy Brennan, Caitlyn Zito, Kira Zimmer, Kayley Hassett, Brian Ye and Emma Diroff.
Representing Langenberger’s high school team were Mason Weiss, Beata Wolak, Ruthi Daly, Sam Garcia, Kayla Melendez, Timothy Chiu, Sophia Chen and Sophia Jaber, all of whom are Howell Middle School South alumni.
Representing Sales’ Howell Middle School North team were Rowena Kannaiyan, Anushka Gupta, Patrick Schaeffer, Dubem Echezona, Sahil Maher, Nick Martino, Svana Shanker and Sarim Memon.
“It is truly a gift as an educator to work with such incredibly motivated students. I can only provide an opportunity; these students must demonstrate leadership and an understanding that it is through their own passions that they are engineering their own success as an individual and as a team,” Langenberger said.