Student Programs

IU1 Student Competitions & Programs

Join Intermediate Unit 1 (IU1) for these innovative student competitions! Student competitions are open to middle school and high school students in Fayette, Greene, and Washington Counties. More information including event details, registration, and competition guidelines will be released closer to the event date. Please reach out to the event contact for more information or to be added to the mailing list. We hope to see you and your students this year! Check out the flyer below and feel free to share. If you are gifted teacher visiting this site, check out the Gifted Educators Google site for more details on PD opportunities and more, click here for the gifted site: https://sites.google.com/iu1.org/iu1-gifted-network/home

Student Competition Flyer

Student Competition Photo Release

Registration Now Open!

Visit the Challenge site and learn more!

STEM Design Challenge featuring K'Nex

The STEM Design Challenge is a competition for students in grades 4-8 where they build a project out of K’Nex pieces. Teams in grades 4-5 and grades 6-8 will only be able to use only K’Nex pieces.

Teams will have from November 2023 to March 20, 2024 to build their projects. Two teams per school are able to participate with a max of four students per team.

DATE: March 20, 2024
LOCATION: California University, Convocation Center South Wing
REGISTRATION: opens on November 1, 2023

Challenge Site, Learn more!

Range Resources STEM Challenge

Middle School and High School students are invited to join IU1 in partnership with Range Resources for the 2024 Range Resources STEM Challenge on Thursday, April 11, 2024, at Range Resources Southpointe (3000 Town Center Blvd, Canonsburg, PA 15317). Lunch will be provided.

The Range Resources STEM Challenge is a competition for students in grades 5-8 and 9-12 where they build a project out of the suggested materials. Each school is limited to a maximum of two teams per school per grade level due to space (openings may become available for more teams after initial registration). Each grade level will be tasked with specific challenge (see info above).

The competition will be held at Range Resources in Spouthpointe. There is a team limit at the current moment, no more than two teams per grade level (5th-8th and 9th-12th) per school. If you have more than two teams, please complete the form again until you have registered all teams.

Teams will have until April 11, 2024, to design and build their projects.

Presentations due by April 4, 2024.

Governor's STEM Competition

Join the Governor's STEM Competition. Teams of up to five high school students from Fayette, Greene, and Washington counties are tasked with the challenge of using their STEM skills and knowledge to solve a problem in their community.

For more information on the Governor’s STEM Challenge go to https://www.education.pa.gov/K-12/STEM/Pages/default.aspx for forms, competition information and contact.

REGISTRATION CLOSES: December 12, 2023
REGISTRATION: https://www.smore.com/qe0dk
PROJECT DUE: March 6, 2024
LOCATION: Virtual

Media & Design Competition

Join us for the PA Media and Design Regional Competition at virtual award ceremony on March 15, 2023. The PA Media and Design Competition, formerly the PA Computer Fair, is an annual event that highlights Pennsylvania students’ application skills, creativity and knowledge. Students are able to unleash their creativity, learn how to convey information more dynamically, and enhance the learning process.

For more information on the competition, categories, go to www.mediadesigncompetition.org.

PROJECTS DUE March 6, 2024
AWARD CEREMONY: March 8, 2024
LOCATION: Virtual
REGISTRATION:
- Middle School: https://mediadesigncompetition.org/?page_id=1505
- High School: https://mediadesigncompetition.org/?page_id=1501

Student Forum

Intermediate Unit 1 (IU1) seeks to bring together high school student leaders from the IU1 Region to discuss leadership topics, school-related issues, post-secondary planning, and service learning. Student Forum provided students with a collaborative learning environment for issues, ideas, opportunities, questions, and concerns of the students in our individual districts.

Student Forum will be back in person at the IU1 Central Office for the 2023-2024 SY.

For more information go to https://sites.google.com/iu1.org/iu1studentforum

Challenge Info & Rubric

Project Submission Form

Powering Pittsburgh

Teams of students can compete in the Powering Pittsburgh Competition for a Pittsburgh Steelers Prizes and a monetary donation to your school (this off of past competition awards and are subject to change for the 2023 competition)! Students in 9th - 12th grade in Allegheny, Beaver, and Fayette, Greene, and Washington Counties are eligible to participate.

PROJECT DUE DATE: October 25, 2023
- Teams will be notified of their placement by Friday, October 27, 2023
- Final Competition will be held at Acrisure Stadium on November 8, 2023.
LOCATION: Virtual (link will be sent closer to the event)

Camp Tech Site

Camp Tech 2024

Camp Tech is a summer camp for students entering grades 3-8 in the fall of 2024. Students will explore science, technology, engineering, math, computer science and more with new and innovative technology! Students will rotate through 4 sessions each day, beginning at 9:00AM and ending at 2:00PM. Sessions fill quickly and space is limited to 48 participants at each site. Make sure to register early! Students are asked to bring a bagged lunch.

July 15 - 19, 2024 | 9:00AM to 2:00PM
Registration opens: Friday, March 22, 2024 at 9:00AM.

Camp Innovation Series Photo Release Form

Camp Innovation Series Legal Release Form

Innovation Camps

The Innovation Summer Camps for students entering grades K-8 (grade level varies according to location) in the fall. Students will explore science, technology, engineering, math, making and more with new and innovative technology! Students will rotate through sessions each day. Sessions fill quickly and space is limited to the first 48 students, make sure to register early! Students must attend all day.

Interested in having a Camp Innovation in your school/district? Contact sarah.durzo@iu1.org for more information.

$2,000 Scholarship Opportunity from Range Resources

Range Resources, in partnership with IU1, is offering a $2,000.00 scholarship opportunity to high school seniors in Washington County and Beaver County (please see the list of applicable schools below).

These seniors exemplify the spirit learning through their academics, leadership skills, career goals, volunteerism or civic-mindedness, and extra-curricular activities. Scholarships will be awarded to 2 students from each of the applicable districts. Scholarships will be awarded to the following applicants:

1 scholarship will be awarded to a student pursuing a trade/technical degree (two or four year degree)
1 scholarship will be awarded to a student pursuing a college/university degree (four year degree)

Applicants must submit at least one reference from a non-relative, example: teacher, coach, co-worker, ect. this should include the reference's name, title, and contact information and a brief description on why you should receive this scholarship.

All applications must be received by April 5, 2024. No late applications will be accepted.

Applicable schools: - Avella - Bentworth - Burgettstown - Canon-McMillan - Chartiers-Houston -
Fort Cherry - Hopewell (Beaver County) - McGuffey - Ringgold - South Side Area (Beaver) - Trinity - Washington - Western Area Career and Tech

Additional Competitions & Programs

The Sea Air and Land Challenge is a STEM initiative in which teams of high school or middle school aged students learn about the engineering process through the design and build of a robotic system. The systems are then used to compete in challenges relevant to the Department of Defense which mimic missions encountered by the military, national security agencies and first responders.

https://seaairland.psu.edu/