SLV students earn acclaim in underwater competition
Team Hippo from the Charter 25 and Redwood Home School program competed in the middle school category and took first place in the Mid-Water Mission in the 2010 Marine Advanced Technology Education Center’s Remotely Operated Vehicle underwater competition.
The team, made up of Avery Laurin, Gabriel Wooden and Dylan Hendricks, won with a recovery time of 2 minutes, 1 second.
Tasks included two missions in the water: using a hand-crafted ROV to collect various
sea life forms, and repairing a mockup of the Hawaii Undersea Geological Observatory. Both missions took place at Monterey Peninsula College on April 24.
The Sea Goblins from SLV Home School were the top performers in the high school category — Rory and Evin Salinas took top honors as the overall winners of the high school SCOUT Mission.
In addition, the Sea Goblins claimed top honors in the Shallow Water Mission and Design and Innovation.
Both teams worked on their underwater ROVs for months, from the initial design concepts on paper to building the ROV, wiring motors and control panels, and refining their designs to accomplish each task. Many practice sessions in the pools of various parents allowed the teams to hone their skills.
Local grad runs for Rock ’n’ Roll
Jessica Niemeyer, a 2007 Scotts Valley High School graduate, plans to run the Rock ’n’ Roll Marathon in San Diego on June 6 as part of Team in Training for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Niemeyer, who attends University of Southern California, will run in memory of her grandfather, who died from a form of leukemia.
“That’s what motivates me, because I never had a chance to meet him,” she said.
The 20-year-old is still collecting the last of the $2,500 she’s required to raise to be on the team. The money will go toward cancer research.
Niemeyer is the daughter of Bruce and Christy Niemeyer of Scotts Valley.
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