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A group of 9 middle school students stand posed in front of a trophy case at Goodman Middle School

The Goodman Middle School Tech Club was awarded a $2,500 prize package as one of 300 state finalists in the 13th annual Samsung Solve for Tomorrow competition. 

Solve for Tomorrow is a national competition that challenges U.S. public school students in grades 6 - 12 to explore the role science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) can play in solving some of the biggest issues in their local community. 

Jennifer De Groot, one of the Tech Club advisers, said her students were inspired by a recent interaction with a substitute teacher. 

“The sub was not able to figure out how to connect their laptop to project a video I had prepared,” De Groot said. “The students had an idea to create a helper app for teachers and substitutes who are having trouble with technology.”

The proposed app would contain information about the most commonly used curriculums. It would have a troubleshooting section for common problems and could help with device connection issues. 

“Not only will it come pre-programmed with digital tech support, it will also have access to real-time helpers in the form of human volunteers, similar to the app Be My Eyes,” the students wrote in their proposal to Samsung. “This will allow for smoother transitions between substitutes and teachers and cut down on learning loss.” 

The GMS Tech Club was one of 100 state winners in the 2019 Samsung Solve for Tomorrow competition, and De Groot said they are excited to participate again after two years. 

To advance in the competition, the GMS Tech Club must submit a lesson plan detailing their project and how it will directly address their chosen issue. Fifty state winners will advance to the next phase of the competition and receive $20,000 in technology and supplies. One of the 50 state winners will be chosen as the Sustainability Innovation Award Winner and will receive a $50,000 prize package.


 

A group of 9 middle school students stand posed in front of a trophy case at Goodman Middle School

The 2022-2023 Goodman Middle School Tech Club stands in front of previous awards the tech club has earned. 

January, 2023

Three middle school boys huddle around a laptop. One boy is holding a small lego robot.

GMS Tech Club students look at a coding program on their school laptop to solve how to make their robot move forwards and backward with a simple motion on the remote control. 

January, 2023.

 

A small robot sits on a wood table with multiple black wires and four wheels.

A small robot sits on a table while being tested by GMS Tech Club students. 

January, 2023

Two middle school girls sit on the floor with a metal robot.

Two GMS Tech Club students discuss how to make their robot throw items more accurately. 

January, 2023.

 

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