Or: Hamilton Junior High School, Team Coach Mica Crownover 254-386-8168

AUBURN, NY—April 29, 2004—Bright ideas, solid research and teamwork won three students from Hamilton Junior High School in Hamilton, TX, a berth as finalists in the Christopher Columbus Awards, a nationwide program that challenges middle-school students to explore opportunities for positive change in their communities. Eighth-graders Phillip Haile, Adam Garrett and Jacob Forrest, and their teacher Mica Crownover, had made it to the semifinals earlier this month and now are one of eight teams in the country to compete for the grand prize.

Skateboarders and retail businesses often intersect according to the team. Always on the hunt for a safe place to practice their moves, the skateboarders turn to downtown Hamilton business parking lots and sidewalks. Hamilton business owners chase the skateboarders away, fearing for pedestrian safety, potential accidents and other commotion on their property, according to the students.

The students decided to turn this friction into a community partnership by building a safe skate park, out of the way of area businesses but accessible to kids who want to skateboard, ride scooters or rollerblade. After surveying area businesses, the students found many of them were willing to support the development of the park through monetary and other donations.

To develop their project, the students researched other skate parks around the country, met with the City of Hamilton Department of Parks and Recreation, surveyed students about park features such as grind rails and quarter pipes, and worked with a design engineer to develop a diagram of the park. They also surveyed area businesses to determine how and whether they would contribute to the parkís development.

A panel of community leaders, scientists and experts in science education judged this idea as one of the top eight entries in the U.S. Over 1,200 students participated nationwide.

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. The program is now in its eighth year and has attracted more than 14,000 students from diverse backgrounds all across the U.S. The program is sponsored by the Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation with support from the National Science Foundation and it is endorsed by the National Middle School Association. 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 Pennsylvania who developed a video/motion sensor device for school buses that deters motorists from trying to pass illegally.

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 draw a broader range of students to enter.

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