Competitors in Foxcroft’s "Be Green" STEM Challenge Tackle Climate Change Mitigation

Bullis School's Solar Superstars team from Potomac, MD, comprised of Jiselle J., Victoria D., and Victoria M., received a solar-powered robot kit and unique medals designed and fabricated by Foxcroft STEM students using the laser cutter in The Innovation Lab as their first place prize in the high school division. Second place in the high school division went to the Terrific Turbines (Meira B., Emily C., Alexandra F., and Julia A.) from Wakefield School in The Plains, VA. Foxcroft’s Recycling Rockstars (Ryleigh B. ’23, Sneha K. ’23, Cameron H. ’23, and Ianna W. ’24) took third.

In the middle school division, the Super SuperNovas (Lyla H., Varsha A., Maya S., and Anya C.) from Edlin School in Reston, VA, took home the middle school trophy. Second place went to the Composting Crusaders (Gracie J., Catherine R., and Samantha D.) from Norwood School in Bethesda, MD. Taking home third were the Sustainable Sirens (Amel J., Ava J., Phoenix S., and Susanna H.) from Washington Episcopal School in Bethesda, MD.

Energy and enthusiasm filled Foxcroft’s Athletic/Student Center and Schoolhouse science labs as the teams worked through five unique challenges. 

In the Chemistry Lab at the “Turning the Tide on Sea Level Rise” challenge, competitors investigated the cause of sea level rise in two mini-experiments. They analyzed data on sea level rise temporally (in time) and geographically (in space). Finally, the competitors observed the impact of sea level rise on different types of shorelines and engineered their own shorelines based on their observations. In the Briggs Biology Lab, “Pollinator Paradise” had teams imagine a world where Milkweed was extinct and then construct an ideal alternative for pollinators. 

Back in the Athletic/Student Center at the “It’s Not Easy Being Green” event, students had to harness the power of the wind to complete two tasks. First, they had to build a wind turbine to power a light that would alert the scientific community of the dangers of climate change. Next, they had to create a vehicle that could travel using wind power. These "sail cars" raced across the floor of the Dance Studio, and the winner was the team whose car traveled the furthest. In the math-coding challenge “Recycling Robots,” participants programmed a human robot to navigate a maze and collect eco-friendly materials while avoiding non-recyclables! Teams were exposed to algorithmic thinking and collaborative coding to write the most efficient program and find the optimal routes for their human robots.