Students from the Halton District School Board (HDSB) I-STEM program are making national headlines after winning top honours in the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow competition.
This is a Canada-wide challenge encouraging students to tackle real-world problems using STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). Among the four national finalist teams, two hailed from Halton, with Aldershot School winning first place and Elsie MacGill Secondary School securing third.
Earlier this spring, regional finalist teams from Thomas A. Blakelock High School, Elsie MacGill Secondary School, and Aldershot School received $2,500 in technology after pitching projects that promote sustainability, inclusion, and health through innovation. On Wednesday, May 28th, national finalists presented their ideas to expert judges at Samsung Canada Headquarters. Aldershot’s Keerthana Srinivasan, a Grade 12 student, earned top national honours for a Quantum monte-carlo project designed to detect faults in photovoltaic farms – earning the school $50,000 in Samsung tech and the School for Tomorrow title. Elsie MacGill’s Grade 11 students, Hassan Rasheed and Karam Noori, received $10,000 for their third-place idea: kinetic plates that generate electricity from movement.
“This is a remarkable achievement that highlights the excellence of the I-STEM program in equipping students with the skills for future-ready innovation and problem solving,” says Curtis Ennis, Director of Education for the HDSB. “Through this experience, students build critical thinking, creativity and collaboration skills, while developing innovative solutions that make a meaningful impact. Competitions like this support the goals outlined in the HDSB’s 2024-2028 Multi-Year Strategic Plan, particularly in the areas of Learning, Engagement and Achievement, by connecting classroom learning to authentic, hands-on experiences. I extend my heartfelt congratulations to our HDSB students for their outstanding accomplishments on the regional and national stages.”
Elsie MacGill Secondary School’s I-STEM program winning 3rd place
The HDSB’s I-STEM program, offered regionally to high school students across Halton and beyond, emphasizes engineering design, innovation, and global competencies to prepare learners for a rapidly changing world.
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