Gulfport High students gearing up for national competition

Samsung is investing in our young people and those young people at Gulfport High School are paying it forward. Once again the school has landed the top spot in the state in this year’s ‘Solve for Tomorrow’ contest.

These students are gearing up to compete in Samsung’s ‘Solve for Tomorrow’ competition, representing Mississippi after recently rounding up the state’s top spot with their proposed plan to help retired veterans after visiting the Armed Forces Retirement Home and identifying the resident’s need for physical stability. Gulfport High student Samantha Rutland said, “We came up with a device that has interchangeable parts where they can do different things like hold a drink, hold a tablet, or even hold a paint brush.”

Katie Ayers is the project manager, making sure all the team members are using their STEM backgrounds and talents to work together as they work on their projects and submit a three minute video in the hopes of advancing in the national competition this spring. They hope to make the cut like they did in 2017 when their vending machine for homeless students landed them in Washington, D.C. competing in the nation’s top ten. “Basically this first week we are just going to start prototyping, and once we get a working prototype we’ll take go and take it to the home, and then work with the therapist and the veterans themselves to see what needs to be changed.”

The school will use the $20,000 won from that state win in the Samsung competition to build on the technology, tools, and resources the school already has, which have benefited from past wins in the Samsung competition. Gulfport High student George Willis said, “Our computer lab changed. It helped a lot with the robotics team. We got new laptops. We got new monitors.”

Regardless of the outcome, instructors Susan Bush and Clinton Brawley say these students are already winners. “I’m retired military myself, so it’s kind of a soft spot in my heart, but it was a great idea our kids came up with, partnering with the Armed Forces Retirement Home to help the residents as they age to still be able to do things they love to do. It’s a win-win for the kids, the residents, and the community,” said Brawley.