Kilohana School Finalist in STEM Competition

Samsung News Release 

Molokai’s Kilohana School is among 300 public schools across America have been named State Finalists in the 13th annual Samsung Solve for Tomorrow national competition, announced Samsung Electronics America. Representing the cream of more than 1000 competition entrants, each state finalist has won a package of $2,500 in technology and school supplies. Kilohana was one of five schools in Hawaii that became finalists. These finalists advance to additional stages of the competition that will culminate in three schools being selected in May as national winners, and receive $100,000 prize packages. 

The annual Solve for Tomorrow competition challenges public school students in grades 6-12 to explore the role science, technology, engineering, and math (the core STEM subjects) can play in addressing some of the biggest issues in their local communities. The competition is designed to engage 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.

“As a company and as individuals, STEM is incredibly important to Samsung – we depend on STEM-savvy people like Google’s Kamau Bobb to envision, implement, and engage with innovative STEM-dependent products and services,” observed Michelle Crossan-Matos, Chief Marketing, Citizenship and Communications Officer, Samsung Electronics America. “Between 2019 and 2029, the number of STEM jobs are predicted to grow eight percent, a higher rate than non-STEM jobs. But while STEM skills are key to a 21st century workforce, we know that national test scores in STEM subjects like Math have fallen by the largest margin in 30+ years. Solve for Tomorrow was designed to provide schools and teachers with an innovative, problem-based learning approach to STEM education to boost student interest, proficiency, and diversity in STEM. This fresh crop of impressive State Finalists is proof that we’re succeeding.”

“Giving students a voice in real-life issues affecting their communities allows them to see firsthand the change they can create in the world,” said Harry Preston, Computer Science teacher at Baltimore’s Green Street Academy, who is a State Finalist in this year’s competition and a 2021-2022 National Finalist. “We find our students are more engaged in our lessons and excited to learn new subjects when they are given the opportunity to learn through the kinds of hands-on experience Solve for Tomorrow delivers.”

From the pool of state finalists announced, state winners will be announced in mid-February. 

More information on the competition and competition phases is also available at samsung.com/us/solvefortomorrow.