Tauranga Intermediate teacher Carolyn Richardson, who had been coaching the team throughout the year, said she was “over the moon” when she found out the news.
“Going into the competition I had a lot of confidence that the students would do well but to win their section was just fantastic,” she said.
“The looks on their faces when they saw their names come up on the screen was brilliant. They didn’t stop smiling all day.”
She said four teams from the school competed at nationals, with all 16 students researching and preparing for “three weeks solid” in the lead-up to the event.
The team needs $24,000 to cover expenses for the trip, which includes flights to the United States, event registration, accommodation and domestic travel.
She said the students had already been “very proactive” in their efforts presenting to Tauranga City Council and organising a range of fundraising events.
Team member Drew, 13, said they were going to need to do a lot of fundraising but felt it was a worthy cause.
She said the competition was “really good for youth” as they were “coming up with solutions for the future to make it a better place”.
Ryan, 12, told the Bay of Plenty Times the project taught students how to better work in a group, think critically and be creative.
“I normally like working by myself, but this has definitely improved my teamwork,” he said.
He said the team fit together like “pieces of a puzzle” and brought different skills to the table. All four were in the same class and close friends, he said.
Reflecting on competition day, Ryman,13, said they were all feeling “stressed out” as the event came to an end. Ryman felt confused when he learned they had won, saying for the first few minutes he did not think it was true.
“At the start it was more cruisy, but then you feel time pressure because you have to finish everything before the time ends.”
Heidi, 13, who was in charge of organising their fundraising efforts, said she planned to email hundreds of local businesses for support.
