Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation

Christopher Columbus Awards 2003-2004

Christopher Columbus Awards and $25,000 Christopher Columbus Foundation Community Grant. The program name was changed as the Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation became the sole sponsor.

Finalist Teams

At an awards ceremony held at Walt Disney World, two of the finalist teams received gold medals and savings bonds for their winning entries. This year, a special one-time Judges Award was given for addressing an emerging issue of critical importance: childhood obesity. The competition is geared toward middle school-age children, and gives students experience in solving problems using the scientific process of exploring, analyzing and drawing conclusions.

The finalist teams were judged a second time for the practicality of implementing their idea. The winning team received the $25,000 Columbus Foundation Community Grant to take back to their community to make their innovation a reality.

Gold Medal S.O.S.-Save Our Stream – Hawken School , Lyndhurst , OH

Problem: A 12,000 year-old population of brook trout is endangered due to toxic runoff in the watershed.

Solution: Educate residents about the consequences of inappropriately disposing lawn fertilizers, pesticides, paints, motor oils, antifreeze and other chemicals in storm sewers which drain into area creeks.

Gold Medal Play It Safe – Hillel Academy, Fairfield, CT

Problem: Playground injuries from falls on tough surfaces.

Solution: Develop a safe and clean playground surface – recycled soft rubber chips placed on top of the mulch and sand base.

$25,000 Columbus Foundation Community Grant – Scanner Patrol –

St. Aloysius, Wyndcroft School and Visitation BVM, Pottstown , PA

Problem: Deciphering food labels can be confusing and potentially life threatening since many allergy-causing ingredients go by up to 72 different names depending on the manufacturer.

Solution: Develop a handheld scanner system that shoppers can use to quickly and accurately read product labels to flag eight different allergens – primarily dyes and nuts.

Judges Award – Dynamic Snack – Enterprise Charter School , Buffalo , NY

Problem: Childhood obesity is on the rise to near epidemic proportions – the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that more than 15% of teens are obese.

Solution: Develop a healthy and tasty cookie to replace the high-sugar snacks teens typically eat and package it in a pyramid shaped wrapper that also encourages kids to exercise.