Four Mancos students proved over the weekend that being smart really is cool, and it pays too.
Taeylor Samora, Shania Pribble, Jessalyn Bay-Voit and Easton LaChappelle traveled to the Colorado Science and Engineering Fair in Fort Collins last week and came home with a pile of awards valued at nearly $11,000.
The list of awards the science students won nearly fills a whole page, with the most awards going to LaChappelle, a junior at Mancos High School.
LaChappelle also will move on to the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, which will be in Phoenix this year. He also won all his expenses paid for that trip.
"They did an outstanding job," said Brady Archer, science teacher. "It was pretty impressive."
Al four of the Mancos students that traveled to the event, came home with cash prizes.
"They did an outstanding job. I'm proud of the kids we raised in our community," Archer said.
These four students along with fifteen others from the San Juan BOCES region received many awards and honors at the fair. The following is a list of awards and scholarships that Mancos students received, valued at $11,000.
Taeylor Samora and Shania Pribble, both sixth-graders, won the following awards for their team project: Frank Armbruster Award for Excellence in Engineering, Matthew McCausland Memorial Award from the Little Shop of Physics and the Society of Women Engineers Award - Rocky Mountain Section.
Jessalyn Bay-Voit, an eighth grader, won the following awards for her project: Pioneers of Science Award for Microbiology - for following in the footsteps of Jonas Salk, and the Colorado Dental Association Award.
Easton LaChappelle won the following awards for his project: US Army Award from US Army Research Laboratory, Society of Manufacturing Engineers Award, Award from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, American Vacuum Society Award for Excellence in Materials and Technology, $1000 Renewable Scholarship to the University of Colorado, Boulder, $1,000 Renewable Scholarship to Colorado State University - College of Natural Science, 1st Place in Senior Engineering, 2nd Place in Best Projects at CSEF - Senior Division and all expenses paid trip to compete at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Phoenix, AZ in May
Easton also had the honor of presenting a TED talk at TEDx - Mile High.
There were 2,000 people in attendance. TEDx - Mile High was held at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House in the Denver Center for Performing Arts complex downtown.
He was interviewed on 9NEWS in Denver prior to presenting at TEDx.