Several Homestead Wakefield Elementary School students were among 174 third, fourth, and fifth graders from across the state who participated in this year's Maryland Engineering Challenges (MEC). MEC is a project-based STEM competition for students hosted at the Baltimore Museum of Industry. The MEC provides a group project that can be worked on during in-classroom or out-of-classroom time that culminates in statewide competitions at the museum.

Each grade level tackled a different challenge: third graders participated in the Safe Racer Challenge, fourth graders in the Paper Airplane Challenge, and fifth graders in the Straw Bridge Challenge. The students worked for several months researching engineering principles related to their specific challenge, building, testing, redesigning, drawing conclusions, and completing written reports highlighting their process. Each team also participated in oral interviews with scientists and engineers, or teachers for the school-based contests, answering questions about their process and what they learned.

The students pictured below placed in the competitions against other schools at the Baltimore Museum of Industry. Other teams participated or will participate in a school-based competition.

These Wildcats did an amazing job representing their school.


3rd Grade Safe Racer Challenge
Shooting Stars - First Place Overall


4th grade Paper Airplane Challenge
Dancing Dolphins - Best Flight and First Place Overall
Team Darts - Second Place Overall
First Class Flights - Third Place Overall


5th Grade Straw Bridge Challenge
Dancing Hotdogs - Third Place Overall