PRESS RELEASE
Wallace School Students Win First Place in 2018 NJSBA STEAM Tank Challenge
In 2015, the New Jersey School Boards Association partnered with the US Army to develop the STEAM Tank Challenge. Modeled after the television show Shark Tank, the STEAM Tank challenges students to think like entrepreneurs by creating and engineering an authentic and innovative solution to real-world problems. With over 400 schools represented in this year’s Challenge, the competition was fierce. However, it wasn’t enough to deter Hoboken’s own Wallace Elementary School Team and their “R Book Reusable Notebook” from taking first place in the 2018 Elementary School Division.
Their journey began last February, when teams of Hoboken Public School District Gifted and Talented students transitioned from brainstorming their inventions to creating video pitches to present to a panel of teachers serving as judges. After viewing 32 pitches from across the district, the Gifted and Talented team of teachers scored each pitch and nominated four teams to register their work for the official STEAM Tank Challenge competition. After the 400+ registrations were reviewed, the NJSBA and US Army selected three of the four Hoboken Public School teams to advance to the North Jersey Regional Competition, held at the New Jersey Institute of Technology in April.
After being selected as one of 90 Regional Competition winners to advance to the state finals, Pria Wolsky, Isabella Roach, Rajan Grover, Erik Jacobson, and Cameron Daly, the student-team behind the ‘R Book,’ took their talents to the NJSBA Conference in October. The judges were highly impressed once again, sending the Wallace Team on to the final stage of competition, held at the New Jersey Education Association Convention on November 8th and 9th. It was here, at the NJEA Convention, that Pria, Isabella, Rajan, Erik, and Cameron were announced as the first place winners in the Elementary School Division.
On the stellar performance of all the Hoboken Public Schools Gifted and Talented students in this year’s competition, Superintendent of schools Christine Johnson said, “We are all so proud of the efforts and hard work of our students, and of course of the incredible leadership provided by their Gifted and Talented teachers, Mrs. Lauren Eakin and Mrs. Denise Vallejo-Rodriguez.”
For a video announcement of the winners from the competition, please click here:
https://youtu.be/ZoYV96M81yw
For more information about the NJSBA STEAM Tank Challenge, please click here:
https://www.njsba.org/news-publications/school-board-notes/november-20-2018-vol-xlii-no-16/popular-steam-tank-program-gearing-up-for-next-year-2018-winners-announced/