NEWTON COUNTY – Standing ovations were in order as the Newton County Board of Education recognized several students at its latest meeting.

While several stood in recognition of these students, several others in the room stood due to the lack of seats – as the meeting got to standing room only numbers.

Three different groups were recognized during the Jan. 23 meeting, with the first being the finalists for the 2023 Holiday Card Art Contest.

Students were asked to submit artworks to use for the contest, with hundreds of submissions considered.

Superintendent Dr. Duke Bradley III opted to choose the top 14, citing the challenges of choosing just one winner.

“I finally narrowed it down to 14 pieces of artwork to use on my official holiday cards as it was just too difficult to select just one,” Bradley said. “I want to personally thank and commend each and every artist here tonight for making my holiday cards a special treat for the recipients.”

The finalists honored at the meeting were Litxy Molina Dominguez, Kaitlyn Wood, Ansley Felix, Ava Whitaker, Sonia Ramos-Gonzalez, Nydiah Small Hazzoum, Jose Serrano, Emma France, Rivers Curtis, Carley Polston, Angelica Negron-Rivera, Megan Parks, Keleia Morris and Destini Lewis.

Next, the board recognized the two teams that became state finalists in the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow competition.

These teams were recognized as being two of the top six in the state of Georgia and top 300 nationwide. With the award, each team received a $2,500 care package from Samsung as a reward for their efforts. 

The first team were creators of the Quick Save CPR mat – a portable mat designed to perform CPR on the victim’s chest via voice commands.

The inventors recognized at the meeting were Hulet Neely, Shania Stewart, Layla Crayon and Nevaeh Craven.

Following a standing ovation, Bradley added his thoughts on the invention.

“I want everybody just to remember what they actually created,” Bradley said. “They created something that’s hard to describe but we know that it will save lives – I want y’all to hurry up and get a patent on that.”

The second group recognized for their finalist designation were the creators of the Feather Falling Shoe. This shoe – designed for the elderly – was made to detect falls and alert medical personnel.

Inventors Justin Johnson and Tre’von Davis were recognized for their efforts.

Bradley gave a closing remark for the specific recognition portion, highlighting the importance of what the STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering and Math – program is doing for those involved.

“These outstanding projects truly exemplify the caliber of learning-based initiatives cultivated by students at the Newton County Career Academy STEM institute,” Bradley said. “It is noteworthy to emphasize that these accomplishments were not extracurricular projects, but integral components of their in-class experiences. 

“The innovative solutions presented tonight underscore the institutes’ commitment to fostering real-world problem solving within the classroom, setting a standard of excellence for STEM education.”