Paint Branch Chinese Immersion Elementary School Wins MESA Competition

Paint Branch Chinese Immersion Elementary School (PBES) teams competed in the Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) regional Mathematics, Engineering, and Science Achievement (MESA) competition hosted by Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory on April 10 and won first place in three different challenges and third place in one challenge. The three teams that earned first place will advance to the state-level competition, on Saturday, May 1st. We wish them luck during the virtual showcase and competition.

The countywide winners included:

Alexander Rivero: Storybook Theme Park challenge. This 3rd grader created a working model roller coaster made out of mostly recycled materials. (1st place winner)
Nathanael Jordan & Justin Li, Wearable Technology challenge. This group of 4th graders created a baby heart rate detector. (1st place winner)
Nicolas Rivero, Andres Carino-Aguado & Leonel Rubio-Velasquez, Mobile App challenge. This group of 5th graders created an app that focused on mental health and included a survey to identify if help was needed and provided a national helpline number. (1st place winner)
Lovisa Jordan：Middle School Mobile App challenge. This 6th grader created an app that focused on getting enough sleep. (3rd place finish)

Paint Branch Chinese Immersion Elementary School is the first and only elementary school in Prince George's County that offers Chinese immersion and Chinese STEM programs. PBES MESA After-School Club was founded in 2018. It aims to help students see the real-world applications of what they have learned at school through project-based competitions and develop the STEM skills they will need in the future. It should also be noted that PBES has offered Chinese STEAM and Culture Academies over the past few years. This summer day camp integrates STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) with the Chinese language and Culture over the summer. The immersion program is open to all current students from kindergarten to fifth grade in Prince George's County, Maryland and its neighboring areas. This year the program will be virtual and the theme is "The Chesapeake Bay - A Home for Many," in which students learn about the Chesapeake Bay, the animals, and plants that depend on it, its environmental impact, and pollution solutions they can encourage in their communities. For more information, please visit the website http://bit.ly/StartalkSteam.

From the City's Education Advisory Committee.