I-SS Board recognizes students for achievements in district, regional competitions (Photos)

BY KARISSA MILLER

The Iredell-Statesville Schools Board of Education recognized numerous students for their achievements during the board’s meeting on March 13.

Spelling Bee

This year’s I-SS District Spelling Bee winners are Rishidharan Jayakumar, an eighth-grader at The Brawley School, and runner-up Aadya Acharya, a Coddle Creek Elementary fourth-grader.

The I-SS District Spelling Bee was held February 2 at the Unity Center. The competition lasted 14 rounds. The winning word was “rabbinic.”

Rishidharan Jayakumar qualified for the regional competition held at the Carolina Panthers Stadium in Charlotte on March 5.

Science Fair

Winning science fair projects from the I-SS District Science Fair advanced to the Regional Level of competition and participated in a Virtual Science Fair sponsored by the University of North Carolina Charlotte on February 2-4. Students participated in Zoom interviews with a panel of judges. They had to answer multiple questions from the judges regarding their research and present their scientific findings through a presentation and a Quad Chart.

ELEMENTARY
Elementary Biology Division
– Maggie McLain, Scotts Elementary, 1st Place

Elementary Engineering Division
– Raghav Garg and Niket Jibu Chandran, Coddle Creek Elementary, 2nd Place

Other Recognitions
– Bridgette Tobin, Lakeshore Elementary, Honorable Mention in Biology Division
– Aahana Das and Varshitha Swathika, Lake Norman Elementary, Honorable Mention Earth and Environmental Division

JUNIOR AND SENIOR
Junior Chemistry Division
– Anish Banerjee, The Brawley School, 1st Place
– Ananya Bhogavalli and Ava Tiley, The Brawley School, 2nd Place

Junior Physics Division
– Samadarshi Ghosh, Lakeshore Middle, 1st Place
– Sydney Copeland, The Brawley School, 3rd Place

Senior Biological Sciences B Division
– Alana Driver, South Iredell High School, 4th Place

Senior Technology Division
– Narayani Garg, South Iredell High School, 3rd Place

Senior Earth and Environmental Science Division
– Shria Rajesh and Sharini Sadhu, South Iredell High School, 1st Place

Senior Physics Division
– Maira Siddiqui, South Iredell High School, 2nd Place
– Nachammai Annamalai, South Iredell High School, 3rd Place

Top Tech Challenge

Six teams from the Auto Tech Center attended the Top Tech Challenge at NASCAR Tech on February 11.

The students were tested in multiple workstations including parts and tool ID, powertrain,
scan tools, electrical, engines, and a written exam. There were four teams that placed in the top ten and were recognized on stage after the competition.

Students won a total of $34,000 in scholarships. The first and second place teams also won Snap-On tools and toolboxes that came back to the school.

– 1st Place: Noah Fox and Josh Suarez ($10,000 each in scholarships)
– 3rd Place: Skyler Smith and Brighton Smith ($5,000 each in scholarships)
– 5th Place: Lillyahna Nevarez and Parker Sherrill ($1,000 each in scholarships)
– 7th Place: Gregory Adams and Jacob Birch ($1,000 each in scholarships)
– 11th Place: Christian Diaz and Nick Goss
– 12th Place: Paxton Cook and Isaac Wyatt

DECA

DECA prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs for careers in marketing, finance, hospitality and other business fields. Students compete in business simulations from other members in their region.

State Medalists
• Food Marketing Series: Alison Juris (Exam medalist)
• Sports and Event Marketing: Mahil Manoharan (role play 1 medalist), Matt Davis (role play 2 medalist)

Skills USA Regional Competition – CATS Auto Tech

Twenty-three students from the Career Academy and Technical Schools Auto Tech Center attended the Skills USA Regional Competition at Wilkes Community College on February 27.

The students competed in several competitions including; Automotive Service Technology, Automotive Refinishing Technology, Automotive Tool ID, Collision Repair Technology, Motorcycle Repair Technology and Diesel Equipment Technology.

Awards
• Josh Suarez, 1st place, Automotive Service Technology
• Noah Fox, 4th place, Automotive Service Technology
• Makayla Kono, 4th place, Automotive Refinishing Technology
• Emerson Lowrie, 2nd place, Automotive Refinishing Technology
• Gregory Donahue, 5th place, Automotive Tool ID
• Jeremy Dalton, 4th place, Collision Repair Technology
• Jackson Redmon, 1st place, Collision Repair Technology
• Wyatt Donahue, 3rd place, Collision Repair Technology
• Colby Zeigler, 3rd place, Motorcycle Service Technology
• James Williams, 5th place, Motorcycle Service Technology
• Skylar Poore, 4th place, Motorcycle Service Technology
• Jacob Birch, 5th place, Diesel Equipment Technology
• Nicholas Goss, 3rd place, Diesel Equipment Technology

Skills USA Regional Competition – South Iredell High

South Iredell High School was represented by 25 students in the 2023 SkillsUSA NW Regional Conference, which consisted of 520 students from 10 counties.

Additive Manufacturing
• James Beach and Caleb Campbell, 2nd place

Advertising Design
• Danielle Beaver, 3rd place
• Isabella Donahue, 4th Place

Crime Scene Investigation
• Team 1 – Tofarati Agbebi, Sebatian “Red” Roja and Ja’Niyah Reid, 4th place
• Team 3 – Trevor Bedson, Michael Bessler and Hayden Dorta-Chalita, 5th place

Customer Service
• Chase Powell, 2nd Place

Drafting I
• Preston Jones, 3rd Place

Quiz Bowl
• Jessica Calliham, Sharini Sadhu, Pari Patel, Shria Rajesh and Shrina Shah, 2nd place

Related Technical Math
• Charlotte Crawford, 1st Place

Technical Drafting
• Logan Lambert, 1st Place
• Austin Moseley, 3rd Place
• Rylie Cataldo, 4th Place