Richland 2 School Districts Blythewood Middle School All-Girl STEAM/Maker Club (SPARK) Wins Best in State!

Blythewood, SC (January 5, 2015) – The Blythewood Middle School SPARK (BMS Empowering Aspiring Girl Makers) club, part of Richland School District Two, joined schools across the nation in the Verizon Innovative App Challenge. According to Verizon’s website (http://appchallenge.tsaweb.org/), the contest encourages student interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) through a creative and engaging learning experience. The all-girl SPARK club is sponsored by BMS teachers, Mrs. Burgess (Visual Arts) and Mrs. Catoe (French). The club began out of a belief in the Girl Maker movement, which hopes to fill the gap between men and women in the science and technology fields. With SPARK, Mrs. Burgess and Mrs. Catoe hope to inspire girls to participate in creative science/technology activities. The teachers are part of the STEM to STEAM movement, which adds the visual arts to the national STEM initiative. Mrs. Karis Mazyck, principal of Blythewood Middle School, and Mrs. Burgess and Mrs. Catoe, club sponsors, could not be more proud and excited for the girls SPARK, who were all dedicated to the development of their app concept.

The SPARK club consists of 7 girls total- four 8th grade students and two 6th grade students from BMS. For the Verizon Innovative App Challenge, the members of SPARK developed an innovative app to help solve daily challenges familiar to secondary students [such as low self esteem, bullying (cyber, physical, and verbal), and more], and offer advice about personal and social acceptance. Of the 308 submissions across South Carolina, the SPARK girls’  app was named “Best in State” in Round One of the judging. In total, Verizon received thousands of applications this year, from which “Best in State” was awarded to one middle school and one high school. Blythewood Middle School’s SPARK app design will now enter Round Two, where Verizon will choose a “Best in Region” winner. “Best in Region” winners will be announced January 16th, and all of Blythewood Middle School will have their fingers crossed.

For additional local information, please contact Jessica Burgess at 803-691-6850 ext. 85303

For more information, please visit these websites:

Verizon Innovative App Challenge http://appchallenge.tsaweb.org/

2015 Best in State winners http://appchallenge.tsaweb.org/state-winners