Participating school districts included East Lycoming, Loyalsock, Montgomery, Muncy, Northern Tioga, Wellsboro, and Wyalusing.

The Keystone Competition challenges student teams to think critically and work together under pressure.

The specific challenge remained a surprise until the morning of the event, when it was revealed during a statewide virtual keynote. Once the challenge was announced, teams spent the day designing and prototyping creative solutions using provided materials and their own ingenuity.

Throughout the day, students applied skills in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics while strengthening communication, teamwork, and leadership abilities. The event emphasized real-world learning by encouraging students to test ideas, refine designs, and present their solutions to judges.

“We always love to see students at our competitions, and this time was especially exciting as this is our first year of this new competition,” said Amanda Fair, Coordinator of Professional Learning. “It was inspiring to see students truly rise to the challenge and come up with designs that were innovative, collaborative, and relevant to a real-world problem. We hope to see even more students at our future competitions this spring to continue on with the work that we started today.”

Student teams presented their final designs to a panel of judges representing education, workforce, and industry partners. Judges included Erin Shultz from Williamsport LaunchBox, Caleb Line from Penn College Makerspace, Tammie Burnaford from SiteLogiQ, Dr. Amy Rogers from Lycoming College, and Kimberly Jennings from the Northern Tier Regional Planning & Development Commission. Projects were evaluated based on creativity, functionality, teamwork, and overall presentation.

Keystone Competition Winners

5-6 Division

— 3rd Place: Lancers – Loyalsock Township School District

• Gavin Collins

• Quynh Hua

• David Marzo

— 2nd Place: The Fantastic Four – Montgomery Area School District

• Harlee McElroy

• Vivian Jarrett

• Camden Murray

• Dixon Bartlett

— 1st Place: Owala Koalas – Montgomery Area School District

• Everett VanOrd

• Patience Joy

• Aubrey Poust

• Elaina McNitt

7-8 Division

— 3rd Place: Team C – Wyalusing Area School District

• Chloe Davenport

• Eva Cook

• Coye Knowles

• Clark Rafford

— 2nd Place: Gifted with Greatness 1 – East Lycoming School District

• Brycen Rogers

• Mark Fabiano

• Sam Fuller

— 1st Place: Fierce Flames – Wellsboro Area School District

• Ryleigh Sporer

• Jackson Largey

• Izabella DiAmbrosio

• Hanna Smith

9-12 Division

— 3rd Place: Muncy High School – Muncy Area School District

• Chase Cheunes-Zartman

• Colson Winters

— 2nd Place: GTA 3 – Wyalusing Area School District

• Conner Earle

• Griffin Sheldon

• Jack Fischer

• Ryan Fowler

— 1st Place: Girls in STEM – Wyalusing Area School District

• Lia Fischer

• Camryn Gesford

• Alysha Botts

• Jenna Morningstar

Special Awards

• Best Team Collaboration: The Fantastic Four – Montgomery Area School District

• Computer Science Creator: Warriors – Northern Tioga School District

• Engineering Excellence: Gifted with Greatness 1 – East Lycoming School District

• Judge’s Choice: Girls in STEM – Wyalusing Area School District