LA PLATA, Md. — Four Charles County Public Schools teams earned top finishes at the state MESA Day competition last month at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, while a district STEM leader received a statewide honor.
The Mathematics, Engineering and Science Achievement (MESA) competition challenges elementary, middle and high school students to use ingenuity and creativity to solve science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) challenges. Teams from William A. Diggs and Dr. Samuel A. Mudd elementary schools placed first in their categories, while a team from La Plata High School earned a third-place finish.
In addition, Simone Young, Charles County Public Schools coordinator of STEM education, received the inaugural Trailblazer in STEM Award.
A team from William A. Diggs Elementary School took first place in the Community Clean Up Challenge. Team members were Micah Enchill, Bryce Muschette, Bryce Thompson and Bryson Wooster. The team was coached by kindergarten teacher Traci Davis and science teacher Michael Johnson. The challenge required students to design an environmental superhero known as the Super Clean Machine that generates power from the sun, wind or water.
Dr. Samuel A. Mudd Elementary School earned first place in the Wearable Technology Challenge. Team members included Joshua Ferguson, Noel McPherson, Amanda Sanchez and Elizabeth Rodriguez Zelaya. Coaches were fourth-grade teacher Brandy Alexander and technology facilitator Maribel Reyes. The challenge tasked students with designing and building a wearable device to help prevent heat exhaustion in athletes.
Students from Diggs also received first place in the Storybook Theme Park Ride Challenge. Team members included John Aaron Bassig, Alianna Grace Moten, Aamir Logan and Danny McFadden Jr. Davis and Johnson coached the team. The challenge required students to design and build a functional model of a theme park ride based on a storybook.
La Plata High School’s National Engineering Design Competition team of Paul Blachek, Pranesh George, Elijah Merkle and Marcellus White placed third. The team was coached by science teachers Rachel Clark and Marisa Capalbo. Students were challenged to identify an issue involving inequity and engineer a solution while following the theme “Designing for Equity Locally to Affect Sustainability Globally.”
Young began her education career as a science teacher with Prince George’s County Public Schools before joining Charles County Public Schools in 2011 as an instructional resource teacher at North Point High School. She later became coordinator of STEM education and has led efforts to expand access to STEM and computer science instruction across the district.
“STEM education is about so much more than just teaching content. It’s about helping students build the skills and confidence they need to navigate an ever-changing world,” Young said. “When students engage in competitive STEM, they’re not just solving problems—they’re learning how to collaborate, think critically and stay resilient.”
Young also emphasized the importance of “failing forward.”
“We want students to understand that failure isn’t something to avoid — it’s actually part of the process,” she said. “It’s how you refine your ideas and ultimately get to better solutions. That mindset is so important, not just in STEM, but in life.”
Charles County Public Schools serves 27,904 students in prekindergarten through 12th grade and operates 38 schools throughout the county.