Submitted by the San Juan Island School District

Friday Harbor High School has been named one of 300 State Finalists in the 13th annual Samsung Solve for Tomorrow competition. The Friday Harbor High School Eco-Club students put together a pitch to build a more robust emergency information and resource app for our community to help prepare for earthquakes, stronger storms, and potential wildfire events. They have won $2,500 to help start implementing their idea and if they are selected as the state winner will get a $20,000 prize and a potential $50,000 bonus for the highest impact idea award. They will then produce a documentary showing the 4-month development of their national pitch which if selected will award them a $125,000 prize.

Solve for Tomorrow is a national competition that challenges U.S. public school students in grades 6-12 to explore the role science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) can play in solving some of the biggest issues in their local communities.

The competition engages students in active, hands-on learning that can be applied to real-world problems – making STEM more tangible and showcasing its value beyond the classroom.

Students participating in this year’s competition have boldly entered their game-changing ideas to tackle geopolitical matters (Ukraine), climate change, school safety, personal safety, mental health, school bus commuting, and more.