DEMAREST—Demarest Middle School proudly announces that three students from its Science and Engineering Team have secured second place in the prestigious New Jersey School Boards Association (NJSBA) STEAM Tank Challenge.
Demarest’s team — Maya Faehndrich, Ayana Mehta, and Sophia Saroufeem — began their innovative project during their eighth-grade year under the guidance of their teacher, Joanne Werner, who coordinates the Science and Engineering Team at DMS.
The NJSBA STEAM Tank Challenge encourages students from across New Jersey to address real-world problems by inventing or modifying products. Participants progress through multiple competitive rounds judged by experts from diverse industries and academia.
The Demarest team tackled challenges in the healthcare sector with their invention, Nurse Assist. This innovative device automates the collection of a patient’s height, weight, and blood pressure, transmitting the data directly to the patient’s chart and online portal. By streamlining these routine tasks, Nurse Assist aims to free up nurses’ time, enabling them to focus more on patient care and less on data entry.
The final round took place at the New Jersey School Boards Convention, held at the Atlantic City Convention Center on Oct. 23. During this event, the top three teams presented their projects to a panel of judges, who provided feedback before selecting the winners. The Demarest team’s Nurse Assist earned them a $1,500 prize to support science and engineering initiatives at the school.
The STEAM Tank Challenge concluded with nine teams from elementary, middle, and high school divisions competing at the NJSBA Annual Workshop in Atlantic City. Students presented innovative solutions to real-world problems, competing for a combined total of $15,000 in prize money. The event highlighted students’ creativity and commitment to addressing pressing community and environmental issues.
The New Jersey School Boards Association (NJSBA) and the Educational Leadership Foundation of New Jersey (ELFNJ) sponsored the awards. High school winners were announced in June, while elementary and middle school winners were recognized at the recent workshop.
Winners by Division
Elementary School Division:
- Woodbridge G&T at Avenel Middle School, Woodbridge Township – Team Recall It
- Alice Costello Elementary School, Brooklawn – Team Door to Your Heart
- Knollwood Elementary, Fairhaven – Team Fentanyl Fighters
Middle School Division:
- Hartford Upper Elementary, Mt. Laurel – Team Mute Assistance Speech Communicator
- Demarest Middle School, Demarest – Team Nurse Assist
- PS #28 Christa McAuliffe School, Jersey City – Team Compost Coalition
High School Division (Announced in June):
- Ridgewood High School, Ridgewood – Team Viritech
- Hoboken High School, Hoboken – Team R.I.C.E.
- Hawthorne High School, Hawthorne – Team Downspout Dynamo