​Centennial HS Team Wins Stockholm Jr Water Prize

From Centennial PTSA: A pair of freshmen at Centennial High School have really impressed the judges in this year’s Stockholm Junior Water Prize (SJWP) competition and will advance to the National SJWP competition on June 16-18 in Charlotte, N.C. The SJWP is considered the world's most prestigious award presented to a high school student for a water-research project. The Water Environment Federation (WEF) has coordinated the U.S. competition since its inception in 1997, and partners closely with their Member Association (MA) to execute the program.

Exploring the Aquaponic Theory as a Sustainable Water Solution, co-authored by Centennial students Sophia Woodrow and Ethan Asher, wasselected as the winner for the entire state of Georgia. The winner at the National level will go on to the International competition held in Stockholm, Sweden in August 2017.

This research project has captured the interest of many judges around the state. Sophia and Ethan initially showcased their research at the Centennial Science Fair, coming in 2nd place. They moved on to the Fulton County Science Fair and tied for 1st place in their category (Plant Sciences). This qualified them for the Georgia Science and Engineering Fair (GSEF), held in Athens, GA over spring break. At GSEF, the students were awarded 2nd place in State for their category. Because their aquaponics project involved water conservation, it was noticed by representatives of the Georgia Association of Water Professionals (GAWP).

Based on their presentation given at GSEF, Sophia and Ethan were awarded the Regional Stockholm Junior Prize. With this came the opportunity to enter the State competition. They had two weeks to submit a 20-page research paper (fortunately, they had done lots of research beforehand!) and were just notified they won the State of Georgia Stockholm Junior Water Prize competition.

“This award is a true testament to the curiosity, diligence and strength of original research,” said Principal Kibbey Crumbley. “These students’ achievement is something to celebrate and underscores the student profile we strive for at Centennial: Our students are encouraged to collaborate, think, learn, and create! In this case, I understand they have set up their own aquaponic system in the dining room and so I also thank their respective parents for encouraging and extending their learning outside of school!”

Judging criteria for SJWP are the same as the international competition and include ratings for relevance, methodology, subject knowledge, practical skills, creativity and paper/presentation. As of 2016, the SJWP entered a three-year contract with the University of North Carolina at Charlotte to co-host the national competition.

Photo courtesy of Centennial HS PTSA (Left to Right: Sophia Woodrow and Ethan Asher display their research at the GSEF state science fair in Athens, Georgia.)