A team of sixth-grade students from the Gifted Academy at Marshall Middle School has won the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation National STEM Challenge!
Team Zip Zoom—made up of students Adalia Moyer, Zoe Fosse, Ophelia McClellan, Lydia Ruffner, and Victoria McCallister—was coached by teacher Stacy Wallace and assisted by Tracy Jaconette. The team developed a creative, four-step solution to address shoreline pollution using tools from their school’s STEM Center.
Their project included:
Ziggy, a light-up plush toy that educates kids about storm drain pollution,
Zip, a modified drone with a spotlight to locate debris,
Zoom, a SPIKE robot with 3D-printed parts that retrieves pollution, and
Zap, a custom-built recycling center to sort waste and reduce future shoreline pollution.
After advancing through four rounds of competition, the team traveled to Baltimore, Maryland, as one of just three national finalists. While there, they enjoyed a week packed with activities including an Orioles game, a harbor restoration tour, and the final challenge presentation.
Team Zip Zoom impressed the judges and brought home the national title, along with a trophy, a signed Cal Ripken Jr. baseball and jersey, and memories to last a lifetime.
The competition was hosted by the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation in partnership with Devon Energy, ExxonMobil, and Worthington Direct.