Previous Winners of SKILLED Centennial Award: Buzzin’ for STEAM

Missouri high school students with an idea that improves their community are invited to enter S. M. Wilson’s 2nd annual SKILLED Awards competition. Sponsored in partnership with the Missouri School Board Association (MSBA) and the STL Works, the goal of the awards competition is to inspire the local community and provide an opportunity for the next generation to be exposed to STEAM learning opportunities. The first-place award winners will receive $1,000 in prize money.

“Exposure to STEAM skills at a young age opens many opportunities for future development and interest in careers in construction and other related industries. It is our hope that this awards program will inspire the next generation to use STEAM learning in ways that specifically support their own communities,” says Amanda Bohnert, CPSM, S. M. Wilson CMO and founder of SKILLED.
Students submitting entries for the SKILLED award are challenged to create a process, lesson, activity or product that engages younger students with science, technology, engineering, art and/or math (STEAM) in an inspiring way. Students can propose a project as an individual or a group of up to four. The project must:

• Be able to be produced for $500
• Be feasible and equitable for your community
• Inspire STEAM learning

A prominent provider of construction management services among area public school districts, S. M. Wilson founded the SKILLED program in 2019 to inspire the future of construction. Students at select districts where S. M. Wilson is building receive hands-on opportunities to integrate academic learning and focus on future employment in the A/E/C industry. SKILLED programming has reached hundreds of students across many school districts and educational organizations in the region.
The SKILLED Awards are committed to following an equitable selection and process, and all interested, eligible students and student groups to enter award submissions. There is no financial cost to entrants and no requirement for travel to be awarded a grand prize. Resources are available to support interested students facing barriers to entry or seeking support in developing their submission. Submissions will be judged on various factors including mission, feasibility and overall project impact. Entries will be awarded bonus points if their program can be repeated, expanded and/or elevated in the future. Chosen projects will be recognized at the MSBA Annual Conference in Kansas City.
Detailed information about the award submission criteria and process can be found at https://tinyurl.com/skilledawards Students must provide the following information:

• Cover page
• Background information
• Project description, budget, and schedule
• 300-word or less essay about how the project will positively impact the students’ community and how it can be repeated, expanded or elevated to benefit more students in the future.
• Purpose video up to three-minutes long explaining the idea

An Educator or Administrator must be named on the entry and provide oversight of the submittal. The school district must be a member of Missouri School Board Association (MSBA).
For more information, contact Maggie Farrell at maggie.farrell@smwilson.com / 314.633.5761.
To learn more about SKILLED and SKILLED Awards, visit www.smwskilled.com.
ABOUT S. M. WILSON & CO.
S. M. Wilson is a full-service construction management, design/build and general contracting firm with headquarters in St. Louis and offices in Edwardsville, IL and Cape Girardeau, MO. Founded in 1921, S. M. Wilson is dedicated to going above and beyond expectations for their clients by putting people first. The 100% employee-owned company is one of the leading construction management firms in the Midwest. Areas of expertise include K-12 education, commercial, healthcare and industrial projects. For more information, visit www.smwilson.com.