Students from Polk County Early College and Polk County Middle School took top honors on April 20 in the annual Model Bridge Building Competition, sponsored by the North Carolina Department of Transportation and the Carolinas Associated General Contractors.

Both 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: West Pine Middle School, Moore County

• High School: Franklin Academy, Wake County

Third place:

• Middle School: Clarkton School of Discovery, Bladen County

•  High School: North Moore, Moore County

Fourth place:

• Middle School: NCMSEN-Pre College, Wake 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).

– Submitted by Brian Rick