Contact: Linda Topoleski, 412-281-2345 or ltopoleski@dymun.com
Or: Wilson Central School, Phone: 716-751-9341
Wilson-Area Students Recognized in National Competition
7th Graders Unearth Love Canal Issues for New Generation of Residents
AUBURN, NY—April 8, 2003—Bright ideas, solid research and teamwork won four students from Wilson Central School in Wilson, NY, a berth as semifinalists in the Christopher Columbus Awards, a nationwide program that challenges middle-school students to explore opportunities for positive change in their communities.
Convinced that the Love Canal area may never be a safe location for humans, the team is alerting a new generation of residents of the potential dangers lurking in the land. Seventh-graders Kadie Curry, Tiffany Dompkowski, Erinne Salvatore and Alexia Thilk, and their teacher, Gretchen Fournier, worried that new residents planning to build near Love Canal may not realize its past as a toxic chemical dump.
"We want to make people aware of the hazards of living near this site because of the dioxin and other toxins buried there," the team said. They developed a brochure and television commercial to inform area residents of the issue and hope to establish a historical society that would maintain the history of the landfill and the controversy that has shrouded it for decades.
A panel of community leaders, scientists and experts in science education judged this idea as one of the top 30 Christopher Columbus Award entries in the U.S. Nearly 2,000 students participated nationwide.
A Chance to Compete at Walt Disney World®
On April 29, 10 of the 30 semifinalist teams will be named winners of an all-expense-paid trip to the Walt Disney World® Resort, where they will compete in the Christopher Columbus Award's National Championship, June 20-26.
Rewards include $36,000 in U.S. Savings Bonds for the top three national winners. In addition, one team will bring home the $25,000 Columbus Foundation Community Grant to help bring its idea to life in the community. In 2002, Coach Lisa Ahlers’ team from Minocqua, WI won the $25,000 prize for its entry to eliminate the milfoil weed from Wisconsin lakes.
The finalists also will attend the Christopher Columbus Academy, a custom-designed educational program. Conducted by scientists, engineers and educators, the program reveals the science and technology behind the thrills and excitement of Epcot® and the Magic Kingdom®.
Positive Community Change
The Christopher Columbus Awards challenge teams of middle-school students to explore and discover opportunities for positive change in their communities using science and technology. Formerly known as the Bayer/NSF Award, the program is now in its seventh year and has attracted more than 12,000 students from diverse backgrounds all across the U.S. The program is sponsored by the Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation with cooperation from the National Science Foundation, and it is endorsed by the National Middle School Association and the National Association of Secondary School Principals. Past winners have included a group of Native American girls who built a study hall out of straw on the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana, and a group of students from New Jersey who developed a technology to help deaf athletes communicate with their coaches while on the playing field.
Strong Participation from Girls, Minorities
The program attracts many students who may not typically enter a science competition. More than half of the entrants are girls, and more than a fourth are from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds, statistics that are higher than those of most science competitions. The Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation believes the teamwork aspect and community focus draws a broader range of students to enter.
For more information, please call 1-800-291-6020 or visit www.christophercolumbusawards.com