Challenger Learning Center of Northeast Alabama Announces STEM 250 Competition for 5th – 6th Graders
Rainbow City, Ala – In recognition of America’s 250th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, Challenger Learning Center of Northeast Alabama is launching a regional academic challenge for middle school students inviting them to identify and defend what they believe is the greatest American STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) invention or innovation of the past 250 years.
This competition allows Challenger Learning Center to be a partner in America250Alabama by inspiring emerging leaders of tomorrow to explore their knowledge of our shared history – who we are, where we came from, and where we can go in the future. Engaging key stakeholders, e.g., school leaders, teachers, and parents, will lead to discussions at school and at home about American discoveries that have shaped the world as we know it today.
Open to students in grades 5–6 across the Center’s 12-county service area (Blount, Calhoun, Cherokee, Clay, Cleburne, DeKalb, Etowah, Jefferson, Marshall, Randolph, Talladega, and St. Clair), this competition promotes critical thinking, historical reflection, STEM literacy, and a renewed focus on the past accomplishments that have improved our communities, state, nation, and the world. Students will research American contributions in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics over the past 250 years, select the invention or innovation they consider most significant, and defend their choice with three well-reasoned justifications.
Dr. Farrah Hayes, Executive Director of Challenger Learning Center identified this historical milestones a unique opportunity to honor our nation’s contributions to the world while inspiring the next generation of leaders, thinkers, and innovators. “We are excited to open this competition to stimulate STEM learning and critical analysis of the numerous inventions/innovations created by Americans that have advanced our nation as a world-leader,” said Hayes. “Teachers have joined in our excitement about this competition and are eager to encourage students to participate.”
Each student may submit only one entry. Public, private, and homeschool students are all eligible to participate, and schools may submit an unlimited number of individual entries. Eight winners will be selected by a panel of judges in the four STEM categories – science, technology, engineering, and mathematics – in both the 5th and 6th grades. Each winner will receive $50 and be recognized at the Challenger Learning Center booth during the Rainbow City Drone Show on June 27, 2026.
Information on competition rules and procedures for submitting an entry is available at: https/www.challengeral.org. Send your questions to Stem250@challengeral.org.
