Norwood Middle School wins student manufacturing competition

Schools earn money for classroom resources

Oak Ridge, Tenn.— Norwood Middle School won first place in the eighth annual “Dream it. Do it.” competition, which is sponsored by the Anderson County Chamber of Commerce and Consolidated Nuclear Security (CNS). The “Dream It. Do It.” program pairs middle school students with local industries. The students produce videos describing the businesses, and then, the videos are judged to determine the winners of the competition. The goal of the program is to introduce students to careers in manufacturing and help develop the future workforce.

Historically, the program was limited to middle schools in Anderson County but was expanded this year to include Campbell County Schools.

Kristin Waldschlager, educational outreach specialist for the Y-12 National Security Complex, said she was pleased to expand into another school district. “We also added two new industry partners, GEON Performance Solutions and Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge, which added another new element to the competition,” she said.

Norwood, GEON partner for success

Working with one of the new industry partners certainly paid off in multiple ways for Norwood Middle School. The Norwood team took first place for their video describing GEON, which has a location in Clinton, Tenn. The video was a humorous take at developing plastic fangs for a vampire.

For their efforts, the Norwood Middle School team received a $1,000 grant from CNS to fund classroom resources. In addition, Norwood’s industry partner, GEON, matched the grant with an additional $1,000 for classroom resources.

“It was a pleasure to represent GEON Performance Solutions in the Dream it. Do it. program,” said Tate Wallace, GEON manufacturing manager. “It’s such a pleasure to be able to introduce the younger generation to the world of manufacturing.”

On top of the monetary awards, Norwood also won the Peoples’ Choice Award with 751 of the more than 5,000 votes cast in the competition.

Other awards and partners

Rounding out the awards, the Jefferson Middle School team took second place and a received a $750 classroom grant for their “Operation Broken Bones” video highlighting another new partner, Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge.

Norris Middle School placed third, receiving a $500 classroom grant for their video about Clayton Homes. Norris’ video showcased the operations and values of the company by depicting the company owners’ perspective.

SL Tennessee also provided a $500 grant to Jellico Middle School in appreciation of the team’s efforts.

Other industry-school pairings included

• Aisin Automotive Casting Tennessee with LaFollette Middle School,
• Eagle Bend Manufacturing and with Jacksboro Middle School,
• Protomet Corporation with Clinton Middle School,
• SL TN with Robertsville Middle School along with Jellico Elementary School, and
• Techmer PM with Lake City Middle School.

Importance of the program

Gene Patterson, Y-12 community outreach specialist, said, “As a major employer in Anderson County, Y-12 understands the value of investing in the education system. Our goal with Dream it. Do it. is to provide early exposure to the world of work to better prepare students for college and full-time employment with local industries.”

“We greatly value Y-12’s continued partnership in this program,” said Rick Meredith, president of the Anderson County Chamber of Commerce. “The support we receive from CNS and all of our industry partners ensures the students receive an excellent overview of opportunities in manufacturing in their own backyard.”

For their video highlighting GEON Performance Services, Norwood Middle School received a $1,000 grant for classroom resources from Consolidated Nuclear Security as well as a $1,000 match from GEON. The team also won the Peoples’ Choice Award for receiving the most votes during online voting.

Jefferson Middle School’s “Operation Broken Bones” video about Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge placed second, earning a $750 classroom grant from Consolidated Nuclear Security.

Norris Middle School’s video about Clayton Homes placed third, receiving a $500 grant for classroom resources from Consolidated Nuclear Security.

Eight industries and nine schools participated in the Dream it. Do it. competition this year. The program introduces students to careers in manufacturing and helps develop the future workforce.

Consolidated Nuclear Security, LLC operates the Pantex Plant, located in Amarillo, Texas, and the Y-12 National Security Complex, located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, for the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration. Bechtel National, Inc. is the lead member of CNS; minority members include Leidos, Inc.; ATK Launch Systems, LLC; and SOC LLC. Pantex and Y-12 are key facilities in the U.S. Nuclear Security Enterprise, and CNS performs its work with a focus on performance excellence and the imperatives of safety, security, zero defects, and delivery as promised.

For more information on each site, visit www.pantex.energy.gov or www.y12.doe.gov. Follow Pantex on Facebook, X or LinkedIn. Follow Y-12 on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn.

CONTACT
Kathryn King, APR
Communications
Office (865) 315.5996
Kathryn.King@pxy12.doe.gov