BHS One of Five Schools to Participate in STEM Challenge

Bethel High School is one of five schools in Connecticut selected to participate in the Sikorsky Innovations STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Challenge this year.

Teams of Sikorsky Innovations engineers working with CT Corsair have designed this “real world” design challenge to provide students interested in a career in engineering an experience like none other. 

These students will receive mentoring throughout the project from the Sikorsky engineers both onsite at their facility and at the Chester Airport where they can get hands-on time with the F4U-4 Corsair airplane. Students will also receive specialized training in the use of SolidWorks CAD software. Students will utilize research and reverse engineering processes to complete the challenge, which will be presented at the CT Student Innovation Exposition in May.

Gene Waring and Karen Fildes will serve as the faculty advisors to the BHS team, which includes: Holly Bachman, Matthew Correnty, Ryan Gizowski, Brian Michalka, Thomas Sheehan, Devon Smith, Nick Spinella and our two alternates, Stefan Larsen and Dakota Wright. The students will travel to Chester Airport on October 28 for the official kick off ceremony where they will learn the specifics of the challenge.

In an e-mail to Patch, Superintendent Dr. Gary Chesley said: "Congratulations to Karen and Gene for making this happen. This is exactly how we want to position Bethel High. We want to be at the forefront in the STEM area so that our kids have this sort of extraordinary opportunity and can compete academically anywhere in the world. This will be a once in a lifetime experience for these students."