District of Columbia, Prince George's County, Maryland, And Ghana School Teachers Embark On A Binational Stem Innovation Competition
WASHINGTON, Aug. 18, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- IREX is excited to announce the selection of 32 schools and 36 teachers and their students from the District of Columbia, Prince George's County, Maryland, and several cities in Ghana to participate in the inaugural IREX World Smarts STEM Challenge, an initiative that pairs high schools in the United States (US) and Ghana in a competition for the best STEM solution to pressing global problems. The 2016 challenge topics address hazardous waste and pollution and energy use. This inaugural challenge is being made possible by a generous grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
The purpose of the IREX World Smarts STEM Challenge is to develop and increase the number of secondary school students who go on to successfully major in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields in higher education in the US and Ghana while at the same time building their skills in innovation and global collaboration and understanding. According to IREX Executive Vice President for Global Programs Joyce Warner, "There's a real need and opportunity for young people to pursue STEM careers. This competition is intended to ignite passion for STEM subjects. It's unique in that it fuses standards-aligned, applied learning for both countries with the opportunity for students to work alongside their peers on the other side of the world to tackle global issues affecting us all."
The challenge launched with an in-person training program for 30 of the participating teachers August 7-10 in Accra, Ghana. During the training, teachers learned how to use the Challenge's standards-aligned, 10-week curriculum; explored IREX's online team collaboration platform; and met their international partners. Please see the following pages for the complete list of schools and teachers participating.
The teachers are currently recruiting their student team members for the challenge, which formally launches in September 2016. Semi-finalist teams will compete in the World Smarts STEM Challenge Contest and Showcase in Washington, DC in early 2017. The winning team will receive a challenge grant and the chance to make their idea become a reality.
IREX is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to building a more just, prosperous, and inclusive world by empowering youth, cultivating leaders, strengthening institutions, and extending access to quality education and information. www.irex.org
Pictures available upon request.
ANNOUNCING THE 2016 IREX WORLD SMARTS STEM CHALLENGE TEAMS
Below are the teams participating in the IREX World Smarts STEM Challenge.
Teams are organized by challenge topic.
| Repower Your Community's Energy Use |
||
| Team 1 |
School: Bladensburg High School Location: Prince George's County, Maryland Teacher: Fides Ybanez |
School: Wa Senior High School Location: Wa, Ghana Teacher: Obed Baah-Yanney |
| Team 2 |
School: Crossland High School Location: Prince George's County, Maryland Teacher: Shanita Graves |
School: Nsutaman Catholic Senior High School Location: Nsuta, Ghana Teacher: Ebenezer Forkuoh |
| Team 3 |
School: Eleanor Roosevelt High School |
School: Edinaman Senior High School Location: Cape Coast, Ghana Teacher: Joyce Barfi |
| Team 4 |
School: Georgetown Visitation Preparatory Location: District of Columbia Teacher: Antoinette Angotti |
School: Accra Academy Location: Accra, Ghana Teacher: Michael Addo |
| Team 5 |
School: Georgetown Visitation Preparatory Location: District of Columbia Teacher: Anne Hylden |
School: Tarkwa Senior High School Location: Tarkwa, Ghana Teacher: Frank Avorpodi |
| Team 6 |
School: International Campus at Largo |
School: Ghana National College Location: Cape Coast, Ghana Teacher: Ishmael Yussif |
| Team 7 |
School: McKinley Technology High School Location: District of Columbia Teacher: Christopher Hoyt |
School: Prempeh College Location: Kumasi, Ghana Teacher: Peter Agyeman |
| Team 8 |
School: Oxon Hill High School Location: Prince George's County, Maryland Teacher: Angela Whitaker |
School: Yaa Asantewaa Girls' Senior High School Location: Kumasi, Ghana Teacher: Beatrice Adu |
| Team 9 |
School: Washington Mathematics Science Technology Public Charter School |
School: Twifo Praso Senior High School |
| Defend Your Community against Hazardous Waste & Pollutants |
||
| Team 1 |
School: Cardozo Education Campus Location: District of Columbia Teacher: Jacob Scott |
School: Methodist Girls Senior High School Location: Amanokrom-Akwapem, Ghana Teacher: Ben Amoakoh |
| Team 2 |
School: Eastern High School Location: District of Columbia Teacher: Robert Barnett |
School: Adisadel College Location: Cape Coast, Ghana Teacher: Cynthia Jebuni-Adanu |
| Team 3 |
School: Frederick Douglass High School |
School: Mfantsiman Girls Senior High School Location: Saltpond, Ghana Teacher: Prosper Agordzo |
| Team 4 |
School: HD Woodson High School Location: District of Columbia Teacher: Candice Mott |
School: Swedru School of Business Location: Agona Swedru, Ghana Teacher: Evans Odei |
| Team 5 |
School: High Point High School Location: Prince George's County, Maryland Teacher: Katherine Manning |
School: Pope John Senior High School and Minor Seminary Location: Koforidua, Ghana Teacher: Stephen Addo |
| Team 6 |
School: International School at Langley Park Location: Prince George's County, Maryland Teacher: Paula Amadeo |
School: Presbyterian Boys Senior High School Location: Accra, Ghana Teacher: Daniel Osei |
| Team 7 |
School: McKinley Technology High School Location: District of Columbia Teacher: Sherry Richardson |
School: Winneba Secondary School Location: Winneba, Ghana Teacher: Cosmos Eminah |
| Team 8 |
School: Oxon Hill High School Location: Prince George's County, Maryland Teacher: Ronald Green |
School: Ahantaman Girls Senior High School Location: Sekondi, Ghana Teacher: Maxwell Andoh |
| Team 9 |
School: Washington Mathematics Science Technology Public Charter School |
School: Bole Senior High School |
Contact: Ashley Grimes, [email protected], +1 202 628 8188 x 107 (office), +1 614 935 6313 (cell)
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SOURCE IREX
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