Students from University View Academy’s (UVA) Elementary, Junior, and Senior Beta Club recently traveled to Nashville, TN, to attend their divisions’ respective National Beta Conventions. They competed in various academic and creative challenges and networked with schools from across the country. Junior Ethan Reed and his engineering team placed first in the nation at the high school level for the “Convention Invention” challenge.
The challenge requires a team of students to create and present an original, functional invention in the categories of consumer products, electronics and sensors, or sustainable technologies. Reed and his team’s winning invention was an innovative child car seat attachment designed to prevent vehicular heatstroke. The sensor activates if a child’s temperature rises above a certain number, notifying parents or emergency services. The device can also store a child’s medical information to assist emergency responders, and several safety features are included in the event of a car crash. The creativity, applicability, and functionality of the invention earned Reed’s team first in the country out of 96 entries.
“Last year our engineering team came in third, and I told our sponsors that before I graduated, I was going to win our Beta Club a first place champion trophy,” Reed said. “This year, I led teams that brought home both a champion trophy and a second place trophy. It was the best feeling in the world to hold up that trophy on stage and know that all of the hard work I put in, along with our team, had all paid off.”
Reed and his team had collaborated on the project since January. Engineering in a virtual school proved a special challenge; Reed had to coordinate hands-on work with teammates in different areas of Louisiana, with the whole team also balancing rigorous academic workloads.
“Leading the engineering team was a huge learning experience,” Reed said. “One of the biggest lessons that I learned was that if you are a team captain, you are responsible for every aspect of the project, from its inception to the final product being judged. My favorite part of the process was pushing the boundaries on what is possible, especially coming from Louisiana, where we are not necessarily known as being innovators in engineering. Having the chance to compete against and beat teams who have won this competition for several years now was an added bonus.”
Reed has seen both his engineering skills and leadership skills advance since joining UVA’s Beta Club in his freshman year. An engineering enthusiast, Reed dreams of majoring in aerospace engineering and one day working for NASA or SpaceX.
Congratulations to all students who represented UVA at the national level. The following students placed in competitions:
High School:
- Anya Chaney-Martinez, Ethan Reed, Katelyn Sisk, Emma Willingham: 1st place Convention Invention
- Brooklynn Elzy, Braylen Haltom, Leia Junius, Lanie Kilpatrick, Ethan Reed: 2nd place Project Proposal
- Anya Chaney-Martinez: 4th place Language Arts, 9th place Quilling
- Leia Junius, Katelyn Sisk, Demiana Webster: 8th place Service Learning Showcase
- Emma Centanni, Brooklynn Elzy, Leia Junius, Cody Lemoine, Chloe Ory, Demiana Webster, Brielle Whitfield: 9th place All the World’s a Stage
- Kynlei Doucet: 10th place Visual Arts Black and White Photography
Middle School:
- Josiah Jordan: 5th place Health and Physical Education
UVA is proud to offer innovative opportunities that allow our students to thrive as they explore their talents and passions.
University View Academy is Louisiana’s premier tuition-free K-12 online school. We offer a flexible, personalized education choice for residents across Louisiana that is powered by state-certified teachers and supported by in-person Micro Academies.
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