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Education
Surprise SeaPerch team advances to nationals
Highland Prep students secure spot in Maryland competition
Courtesy Highland Prep
Highland Prep’s SeaPerch team successfully secured a spot in the 2024 International SeaPerch Challenge happening this summer in Maryland.
Posted
I really think how dedicated we all were as a team, got to us where we are.”
Kaedan Melton | Highland Prep student
By Destiny Dominguez | Highland Prep
Highland Prep’s SeaPerch team successfully secured a spot in the 2024 International SeaPerch Challenge happening this summer in Maryland.
The annual international competition is an invite-only event where only the top teams who excel in registered regional competitions are invited.
Highland Prep’s SeaPerch team “Narwhals,” comprised of high school juniors Kaden Kalanick, Ryan Gladden, Kaedan Melton and Keshav Sachan took home the three most notable awards in their recent SeaPerch competition, earning them a spot in the esteemed international competition.
During this recent regional competition, they were scored based on an obstacle course, mission course and technical design report. Teams were given a total of six minutes to complete the obstacle course.
Highland Prep’s “Narwhals” finished it in an impressive time of one minute and 17 seconds. For the mission course, they accumulated points based on the number of tasks they were able to complete. The sets of tasks included opening an elevator door, collecting water and rock samples, and placing the collected samples in certain areas. The Highland Prep team earned a total of 45 points during this course.
Thanks to the team’s excelling performance in both courses, they were awarded the three most honorable distinctions of the night: obstacle course award, mission course award, and overall champion award, therefore, allowing them to advance to nationals.
“Definitely the vast amount of practice owes a lot to how well we did,” Melton said. “I really think how dedicated we all were as a team, got to us where we are.”
“Now it’s all about getting ready for nationals,” Kalanick said. “If we’re able to effectively use the experience we have gained so far from these competitions, I’m confident we can continue winning awards and advancing our SeaPerch program.”
Highland Prep’s SeaPerch team is set to travel to Maryland for the international competition May 31 and June 1.
Highland Prep is a STEM-focused college-preparatory high school located at 15600 W. Hearn Road.
For information, contact the school office at 623-300-8385.
