Calvert County Public Schools (CCPS) conducted regional competition for Mathematics, Engineering, Science and Achievement (MESA) Thursday, April 19 and Friday, April 20 at Huntingtown High School (HHS).

A national program, MESA holds competition for students at all levels—elementary, middle and high schools.

According to Bridget Kluwin, the sponsor for CCPS competition, the elementary school competition is for students in grades four and five. The four challenges for the elementary students are Bridge, Effective Communications, Scratch (a computer language competition) and Story Book Theme Park Ride. Kluwin explained that in the latter category student competitors demonstrate a machine they have made based on a story book they have read.

The challenges for the middle school students are Bridge, Effective Communications, Alice (a computer game design competition) and the Wind Energy Challenge.

For high school students competing in MESA, the challenges are Bridge, Effective Communications, Python (a cipher design computer game competition) and the Wind Energy Challenge.

According to Kluwin, the computer game challenges were designed for Maryland MESA by the Applied Physics Lab (APL) of Johns Hopkins University. “A work group of scientists at APL have been volunteering their time and have created the Alice and Python challenges,” Kluwin stated. “The students have designed the games using software and for Python.”

A total of 449 students participated in the two-day competition and they were supported by their sponsors, and by parent and community volunteers.

Mount Harmony Elementary School (MHES) was the overall Elementary School Division winner. Southern Middle School (SMS) was the overall Middle School Division winner while Northern Middle School (NMS) won the Wind Energy Challenge. Calvert High School (CHS) was the overall High School Division winner while Northern High School (NHS) won the Wind Energy Challenge.

Teams from those five schools now advance to the Maryland MESA State Competition Monday, May 7 at the APL of Johns Hopkins University in Laurel.

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