Education Notebook: Third-grader wins state contest
Krzyzanek’s design of Martian habitat claims grand prize
Tristan Krzyzanek, a third-grader at Prairie View Elementary School in the Mead School District, has a love for science and building things that’s out of this world. His passion recently won him a grand prize at the Washington NASA Space Grant Consortium and the Seattle Science Festival’s Design a Martian Habitat contest, held at the Seattle Center.
After a visit to the Pacific Science Center with his family in February, Krzyzanek learned about the contest and began researching and designing a Mars Mission 2030 document that included scale models. His work won the grand prize in the kindergarten through fourth grade category. Krzyzanek was awarded a one-year family membership to Pacific Science Center; two general admission tickets to the Seattle Science Festival Science Luminaries Series; two tickets to see an IMAX film at Pacific Science Center; a commemorative Space Shuttle flash drive; a Seattle Science Festival T-shirt; and a $150 prize.
Krzyzanek’s dream is to be an aerospace engineer and build a space shuttle, he said. He participates in STEM – science, technology, engineering and math – educational activities offered through the Mead School District, which have included a summer camp on electricity and a ScienceFest Energy Extravaganza. Krzyzanek also participates in Prairie View’s after-school science activities, which focus on Lego science, where he learned to build mechanical and electric-powered equipment and vehicles.
MLHS junior gets aviation scholarship
Chad Schluter, of Medical Lake High School, is the 2012 recipient of the Chris Hanly Memorial Aviation Scholarship.
Schluter will be a senior in the fall and is the son of Shawn and Sandra Schluter, of Medical Lake.
The $2,000 scholarship is intended to help students get a head start in their flight career. Schluter was chosen for the award because he is dedicated and has a love and enthusiasm for aviation.
The award’s namesake was an EMT and firefighter pilot, whose love for aviation began at age 11. He graduated from Cheney High School in 1997 and received his private pilot’s license at 17. Three days after his 24th birthday, Hanly died of heart failure.
For more information about the scholarship and application requirements visit www.mangnall.com/hanly.