Students from Clarkton School of Discovery in Bladen County and Polk County Early College in Polk County took top honors today in the annual Model Bridge Building Competition sponsored by the N.C. Department of Transportation and the Carolinas Associated General Contractors.

The two groups have hosted the event annually since 2000 to encourage students to develop math and science skills. Students work in teams, allowing them to also demonstrate critical thinking, problem solving, communication and research abilities. The teams were judged in four categories: written report, oral presentation, design drawing and model efficiency.

The other winners in the competition were:

Second place:

• Middle School: MSEN-Pre College, Wake County
• High School: Franklin Academy, Franklin County

Third place:

• Middle School: Polk County Middle School, Polk County
• High School: North Moore, Moore County

Fourth place:

• Middle School: Elise Middle School, Moore County
• High School: Camden Early College, Camden County

First place teams received $500 apiece for their schools. Prizes also went to schools finishing in second place ($400), third place ($300), and fourth place ($200).

article submitted by Katie Trout