City of Blaine Anoka County, Minnesota - File #: SPEAKER 20-05

• File #: SPEAKER 20-05
• Version: 1
• Name: Centennial Middle School MN Story Map Competition Recognition
• Type: Guest Speaker
• Status: Filed
• File created: 6/15/2020
• In control: City Council
• On agenda: 6/15/2020
• Final action: 6/15/2020
• Title: RECOGNITION OF CENTENNIAL MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS FOR ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE 2020 ESRI STORY MAP COMPETITION
• Sponsors: Catherine Sorensen

Date	Ver.	Action By	Action	Result
6/15/2020	1	City Council	Informational: no action required

AWARDS-PRESENTATIONS-ORGANIZATIONAL BUSINESS - Cathy Sorensen, City Clerk

Title

RECOGNITION OF CENTENNIAL MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS FOR ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE 2020 ESRI STORY MAP COMPETITION

Background

Council is asked to recognize Centennial Middle School instructor Mary Erickson and her students Alexis Sanburg, Jordis Linke, Eliane Young, Sarah Zurita Zepeda, and Ethan Von Wald for their achievements in the 2020 Esri Story Map Competition.

Five 8^th grade students from Centennial Middle School entered three topics in the 2020 Minnesota Story Map Competition which is part of the national Esri Story Map Competition. Each team or individual had to select a topic relevant to Minnesota to research and then build an interactive online map to share with the public.  All students did a fantastic job and all three teams made it in the top five for the state and qualified to the national map competition. 

Each team or individual had to select a topic relevant to Minnesota to research and then build an interactive online map to share with the public.  Alexis Sanburg and Jordis Linke looked at the issue of invasive carp in our lakes, Eliane Young and Sarah Zurita Zepeda explored the challenges faced by children in immigrant families, and Ethan Von Wold posed a theoretical nuclear attack in the metro area and the damage that could happen. Of 18 entries in the middle school division, these students captured two of the top five spots as well as an honorable mention.  Their entries are featured in the Minnesota Alliance for Geographic Education storymap on the Minnesota on the Map 2020 ArcGIS online student competition here <https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/86b7eb27711043ce8fa944a146b9b942>.

The work these students did was above and beyond their normal classroom work and they persevered to the finish through the challenges of home schooling the last weeks of the competition. In addition, the following individuals helped guide these students throughout the project and should be recognized as well including their instructor Mary Erickson, geomentor Chris Pouliot of the DNR, volunteer Alaina Burchill, and geomentor Cory Richter, City of Blaine GIS Coordinator.