CPS And NASCAR Partner For STEM Fest Challenge

Winners of the STEM Fest Challenge. Photo by Tia Carol Jones.
Winners of the STEM Fest Challenge. Photo by Tia Carol Jones.

CPS And NASCAR Partner For STEM Fest Challenge

By Tia Carol Jones

Students from Chicago Public Schools had the opportunity to participate in the third annual STEAM Fest Challenge. There were 600 students from kindergarten to 12th grade who competed in a NASCAR-themed design challenge.

During the school year, CPS has a NASCAR-themed challenge where students and the schools who do well advance to compete in the event at the STEM Fest Challenge at the Field Museum. This year, there were more than 50 schools that participated.

High school students designed their own racetrack using an Ozobot. The goal of the project was for the students to create the fastest track, with the fastest time and complete the project as a team. The track had different codes for the Ozobot to follow and they had to pick up different tiles to complete the track.

Joy Blake, Manager of STEM Implementation and Supports for CPS, said through the racetrack creation project, students learned robotics and how to code, as well as problem-solving and time management. She said the project also taught the students teamwork and collaboration, because they couldn’t complete the track without their teammates.


Andrea Anders, STEM Coordinator at Chicago Vocational Career Academy (CVCA) High School, said the students really had to use their skills of critical thinking and communication to complete the project. CVCA brought two teams, one comprised of ninth and tenth graders and one comprised of eleventh graders. Students who participated in the past get to participate again next year.

Troyshon Byrd, an 11th grade student at CVCA, just started participating in the STEM program at the school. He wanted to become part of it because he saw the projects they were doing using technology, and it looked like something fun to do.

Kemiria Robinson, an 11th grade student, participates in the STEM program at the school because she said there are fun activities to do during and after school. She likes the part of the program where she gets to socialize, meet new people and do fun projects.

Julie Giese, President of the NASCAR Chicago Street Race, said that the STEM Fest Challenge was one of the first partnerships NASCAR created when they came to Chicago to host the street race.

“Chicago Public Schools has been a tremendous partner. So much of what happens in our industry on a day in, day out basis are really based on the STEM and STEAM fundamentals,” she said. She added that creating programs for school aged youth to help them understand and how to apply what they’re learning in school and how it can create a job and a career path for them has really been a priority for the NASCAR Chicago Street Race.

Giese said that NASCAR wants to be in the communities each and every day and give back as a way to be good community partners. She said it is about connecting the youth with motorsports and showing them what the career opportunities are that are involved with it.

NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Blaney said he was excited to be able to see young minds do the competition and work with each other.

“I can relate a lot to that in our race team, you have to all work together and you have to all be in sync together and figure out problems and discuss things. It was cool to see that. It was neat to see, I learned a lot today. It was cool to see those boys and girls put in a lot of work and effort,” he said.

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