S. M. Wilson & Co. and STL Works have awarded $2,000 in prizes to two teams of Missouri high school students through the fifth annual SKILLED® awards program. The awards competition challenges high school students to create a process, lesson, activity or product that engages students with science, technology, engineering, art and/or math (STEAM) to engage and inspire younger students. Sponsored in partnership with the Missouri School Board Association (MSBA) and STL Works, SKILLED Awards is open to Missouri and Illinois high schoolers.
Austen Johnson, Alex Hua, Justin Lutz and Rishi Simhadri, students in the Parkway School District Spark! Incubator program (The Cookie Lab)
Cong Vo (Bayless High School), Holly Davis (Lindbergh High School) and Emir Husic (Affton High School) via the St. Louis CAPS (Wings & Seeds)
Images Courtesy of: S.M. Wilson
SKILLED, S. M. Wilson’s Construction Career Education program, provides hands-on opportunities to integrate academic learning and focus on future employment in the A/E/C industry. The company established SKILLED in 2019 to inspire the future of construction.
“The SKILLED Awards program was created to drive engagement in STEAM education at an early age to prepare and inspire careers in construction and related fields,” says Amanda Bohnert, CPSM, S. M. Wilson’s Chief Marketing Officer and founder of SKILLED. “By developing and implementing STEAM education that is fun, engaging and designed with each specific community in mind, we hope to create a lifelong love of learning and encourage students to pursue future opportunities in in-demand fields.”
AWARD WINNERS
This year’s SKILLED Missouri Awards Program winners are:
This year’s SKILLED Missouri Awards Program winners are:
- The Cookie Lab, created by Austen Johnson, Alex Hua, Justin Lutz and Rishi Simhadri, students in the Parkway School District Spark! Incubator program. The lesson uses baking to show that science and math are everywhere by demonstrating how even a small change in a recipe can change the outcome.
- Wings & Seeds, created by Cong Vo (Bayless High School), Holly Davis (Lindbergh High School) and Emir Husic (Affton High School) via the St. Louis CAPS (Centers for Advanced Professional Studies) program’s Global Business & Entrepreneurship and Engineering & Technology Design and Development courses. In this hands-on activity, students plant their own Butterfly Weed Seeds to support the growth of butterflies, to spread awareness of the declining population of the species and teach them about the science behind the plant growth cycle and butterfly life cycle.
“The bigger goal of The Cookie Lab is to help students connect classroom learning to real life,” says The Cookie Lab team in their entry. “It shows students that STEAM isn’t distant or intimidating; it’s part of their daily lives. Once they see how these skills apply outside of class, they’re more likely to carry that interest forward.”
“Wings & Seeds was intended to give kids a way to help their community and environment throughout their lives…It teaches students [how to grow milkweed] and provides them with the materials to keep helping their community even after their direct involvement with Wings & Seeds is over,” says the Wings & Seeds team in their entry.
One member of Wings & Seeds says “I grew milkweed plants in class as a 3rd grader, and I’ve been able to continue helping my community by growing another plant each year. That’s exactly what we want every kid impacted by Wings & Seeds to be able to do.”
ABOUT SKILLED & IMPACT
S. M. Wilson’s SKILLED® Construction Career Education Program is a full-pipeline workforce initiative designed to inspire, train, and elevate current and future talent for the architecture, engineering and construction (A/E/C) industry.
S. M. Wilson’s SKILLED® Construction Career Education Program is a full-pipeline workforce initiative designed to inspire, train, and elevate current and future talent for the architecture, engineering and construction (A/E/C) industry.
SKILLED’s mission is to “Inspire the Future of Construction” through programming that spans pre-K students through current construction professionals.
Discover (PreK–12)
Hands-on STEAM activities and real-world classroom experiences that connect academic learning with exposure to construction careers. Events and content are tailored by grade level to make career pathways visible, relatable and exciting.
Hands-on STEAM activities and real-world classroom experiences that connect academic learning with exposure to construction careers. Events and content are tailored by grade level to make career pathways visible, relatable and exciting.
Develop (Emerging Talent)
Internships, mentorship, externships, and workforce training opportunities designed for high school students, college students and early-career professionals interested in pursuing careers in the A/E/C industry.
Internships, mentorship, externships, and workforce training opportunities designed for high school students, college students and early-career professionals interested in pursuing careers in the A/E/C industry.
Elevate (Current Professionals)
Ongoing workforce development within S. M. Wilson focused on professional growth, leadership development, talent retention and advancement, strengthening both the company and the industry pipeline.
Ongoing workforce development within S. M. Wilson focused on professional growth, leadership development, talent retention and advancement, strengthening both the company and the industry pipeline.
2025 Impact Snapshot
- In 2025 alone, SKILLED® reached thousands of current and future professionals across Missouri and Illinois:
- 12,000+ students inspired
- 35+ unique STEAM education events
- ~350 hours of teaching & mentoring by 34 employee-owners
- $31,000 in college loan, college savings, & tuition reimbursement support
- 500+ hours of training, leadership development, coaching & advancement for employees
ABOUT S. M. WILSON & CO.
S. M. Wilson is a full-service construction management, design/build and general contracting firm with offices in St. Louis and Edwardsville, IL. Founded in 1921, S. M. Wilson is dedicated to putting people first above and beyond expectations for their clients. The 100% employee-owned company is one of the leading construction management firms in the Midwest. The company’s areas of expertise include K-12 education, commercial, healthcare and industrial projects.
For more information, visit www.smwilson.com.
