The Harlan County High School Engineering “Road Show” traveled to the Harlan ARH Hospital lobby recently to showcase various student projects, culminating yearlong learning in STEM classes.
"We were honored to host the Harlan County High School engineering and technology projects in our hospital lobby,” said Joseph Horton, chief executive officer. “The innovation, creativity, and problem-solving skills demonstrated by these students were truly impressive. It was especially rewarding to see our physicians, nurses, maintenance staff, administrators, and other employees engaging with the exhibits and learning from the students.”
Horton said, “These young people represent the future of our region, and we are proud to support opportunities that showcase their talents while encouraging the next generation of innovators, engineers, and healthcare professionals. Investing in and celebrating the achievements of our young people is important to the future of our community, and we were proud to partner with the school district in this special event."
Chief Operating Officer Dywayne Craig agreed.
“Harlan ARH was proud to host the engineering and technology showcase featuring students from Harlan County High School. The exhibits highlighted the remarkable talent and innovation of these young people, and our employees thoroughly enjoyed learning about their projects. Events like these highlight the importance of investing in our youth, who represent the future of healthcare, technology, and our community. We appreciate the opportunity to support and celebrate student achievement and look forward to seeing the positive contributions these students will make in the years ahead.
As part of the exhibition, hospital staff voted on the favorite projects. Plaques, certificates and a gift card were awarded to winners.
Superintendent Brett Johnson said he was pleased with the collaboration with ARH and looks forward to others in the future.
"I am extremely proud of the students who participated in this engineering and technology showcase. Their projects reflected the innovation, creativity, and problem-solving skills that we strive to develop in Harlan County Schools. Throughout the event, I had the opportunity to speak with physicians, nurses, maintenance personnel, administrators, and many other hospital employees who visited the exhibits. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Our students represented themselves, their school, and our district exceptionally well, and they demonstrated that they are prepared to meet the challenges and opportunities of the future."
Johnson added that "This event was a wonderful example of what can happen when schools and community partners come together to support student learning. I was encouraged by the interest shown by the Harlan ARH staff and the many positive comments I heard throughout the day. As I walked through the exhibits and spoke with hospital employees, I was reminded of the tremendous talent we have in Harlan County Schools. The positive reactions from those who viewed the projects confirmed what we already know—our students are capable of remarkable things when given opportunities to learn, create, and innovate."
Greg Longworth, districtwide math resource teacher, said, “The engineering and technology projects on display showcased the exceptional talent and innovation of our students. Congratulations to all participants and especially to those whose projects received awards for technology innovation.”
Longworth added that “Opportunities like this allow our students to share their talents with the community and demonstrate the real-world applications of what they are learning in our classrooms every day."
Hospital Choice Award recipients were Caden Craig, Shania Middleton and Elijah Moore. The hospital employees and visitors to the exhibits voted the robotic hand designed, constructed and displayed by the team as best of show. The team of Jack Eld and Addison Fields received the Innovation award for their project which included programmable remote-control spheres.