Area officials have announced the results of the eighth annual Great Valley Computer Contest.
Wyoming Area High School came in first place, with Wyoming Seminary placing second, and Wilkes-Barre AVTS placing third. Lake Lehman High School and West Scranton High School were finalists. Fifteen teams representing 14 high schools in northeast Pennsylvania participated in the eighth annual Great Valley Computer Contest for high school students grades nine through twelve.
Skills in Scranton, in cooperation with the Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business and Industry, and the Great Valley Technology Institute sponsored the event. The contest was held at College Misericordia. In addition to hosting the event, College Misericordia offered thousands of dollars in scholarships to students on the winning teams.
Several area organizations supported the event. Penn State University and instructor Fred Aebli provided training in project management for contest contestants. Solid Cactus offered facility tours to participants, and for the first and second place teams, Solid Cactus offered job shadowing opportunities at the company. New Horizons Computer Learning Centers gave each of the winning teams and finalists a free computer training course of their choice. ALLTEL, Fidelity Deposit and Discount Bank, the Great Valley Technology Alliance, HarperCollins Publishers, Prudential Financial, and Solid Cactus were prize contributors.
Representing NEIU 19 were Abington Heights High School, Career Technology Center of Lackawanna County, Mid-Valley Secondary Center, Montrose High School, Mountain View High School, North Pocono High School, St. Rose Academy, West Scranton High School, and Western Wayne High School. Representing LIU 18 were Hazleton Area High School, Lake Lehman High School, Wilkes-Barre AVTS, Wyoming Area High School, and Wyoming Seminary.
All public and private schools in NEIU 19, LIU 18, and the Diocese of Scranton were eligible to compete. A maximum of two teams from each school can participate, with no more than five students on each team. More than $5,000 in prizes was awarded to the winning team. In 2006, Lake Lehman High School came in first place, with Hanover Area High School placing second, and Wilkes-Barre AVTS placing third. The Career Technology Center of Lackawanna County and Wyoming Area High School were finalists.
The purpose of the contest is to introduce and expose the area’s high school youth to information technology in a competitive environment. Students created a business (actual or fictional) and researched, designed, and developed a web site for their business.
The contest is a one-day event where all participating schools have an opportunity to present their contest entries. Each team displays entries for all to review. The top five teams gave a formal presentation to the audience. A judging committee selected the winners. Teams that are selected to present to the audience are limited to a five minute presentation. Each contest entry is evaluated in terms of technical quality, creativity, use of technology, and usability (by the business or community organization).
First place prize for the contest is $1,000 for the competing school, $100 for teacher representing the school and $100 for each student on the team. The prizes for second place include $500 for the competing school, $50 for teacher representing the school and $50 for each student on the team. Students and the teacher on the third place received $25, with the school receiving $250. All teachers that submit contest entries received a gift.
Chamber Staff Contact:
Jeffrey A. Rubel
jrubel@scrantonchamber.com
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