Students at Chesapeake high school won $6,500 for tackling the problem of the current school bus driver shortage, reported WTKR News.
Great Bridge High School students, led by teacher Paula Labbe, were reportedly named one of the two state winners in the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow contest.
This program encourages students to solve real-world issues in their communities with the use of science, technology, engineering and math.
The other winners for Virginia were students at Edison High School Academy in Fairfax County.
The students at Great Bridge worked to address how schools across the nation are faced with critical shortages of school bus drivers and created a system to help bus drivers construct personalized and efficient routes determined by the students they are transporting that day.
The concept revolves around student riders swiping a programmed card that connects to an app to determine the most efficient route to take every student home.
If this project is selected as a national finalist in March, the students will win $50,000 and present their project to a panel of judges in the quest to be named national winners. That grand prize is $100,000.
Related: Virginia Parents Struggle to Pick Up Students Amid Severe School Bus Driver Shortage
Related: 5 Ways to Alleviate Your Bus Driver Shortage (And Save Money, Too)
Related: Pay, Appreciation, Workplace Culture are Key to School Bus Driver Shortage Solution, Panel Finds
Related: Virginia School Bus Driver Wins $10,000 for Going Above and Beyond
