Countryside Montessori Students Take Second Place in National Contest

in Land O’ Lakes is celebrating their a big win this week. A team of students won second place in the nation in the annual Exploravision competition sponsored by Toshiba and the National Science Teachers Association.

The team was one of six in the nation chosen in March as regional finalists from thousands of entries, team mentor Heather Tomasello said in a previous Patch interview.

The team will now embark on an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington D.C. on May 30 to participate in the awards weekend. Each student on the team won a $5,000 savings bond, Tomasello said.

The team's submission in the contest was a design for the S.M.A.R.T. School, a school which uses converts the movement and sound energy created by students into electric energy for clean, green, inexpensive power. The school’s desks and chairs also feature special antibacterial nanoplastic materials to keeps students and teachers healthier, Tomasello said.

Congratulations, Countryside Montessori!