Fun with GIS 281: US HS + MS Competition
Learning works best when students engage, when they get to do, not just receive. Designing their own adventure and digging in can be magical, liberating. Independent work may yield stumbles and bumps, but will also foster humble reflection, critical thinking, curiosity, and creativity. This is what the ArcGIS Online Competition for US High School and Middle School Students promises -- a chance for students to research, build, and present.
Students in teams of one or two can research a project of their choosing about a geographic phenomenon in their state. They must investigate, build maps about their subject, document their work, craft a story, and present it as compellingly as they can. Students submit their project to their school, which chooses its five best to send to the state. Participating states will have funds to award $100 per project up to five projects from grades 9-12 and five projects from grades 4-8.
Depending on the national health situation, top state awardees at high school and middle school levels may be in a final judging for national awards. Regardless, participants will have built critical skills, attitudes, and perspectives that never expire. The projects may reflect an already long-simmering interest, or spark a new enduring passion. Even just examining results from previous years may open young eyes to stories and connections never before contemplated.
Blue = participating in 2021. Click to see info.
Students in the states participating this year are eligible, and can work at school or remotely. Students need a login, which schools can provide for free, and projects get submitted through the school. See the full details for more info, and encourage students you know, of all backgrounds, to participate. Together, we can build understanding, perspective, and a better world.