YORK, Pa. — A York County high school student recently won a $1,000 prize in a national essay contest after her entry was judged to be the best out of more than 200 submissions.
Olivia Schaffer, a senior at Central York High School, won the "Keeping AEC Green” scholarship award essay contest, her school announced Thursday.
The contest, sponsored by Applied Software, GRAITEC Group out of Atlanta, Georgia, encourages high school students to explore careers in sustainable construction, the school district said.
The project prompted students to develop research skills and present a creative solution for implementing an idea related to the Architectural Engineering and Construction field.
Schaffer's entry included her idea and plans for solar-powered parking lots.
In addition to the $1,000 scholarship award, Schaffer's victory earned a $500 prize toward related programs at Central York, the school said.
“We had modest expectations for our scholarship’s first year but were blown away by both the number of entries and the quality of the thinking,” said Scott McMaster, executive vice president of Applied Software, GRAITEC Group, in a separate press release. “Our industry faces many challenges ahead, but these students are clear, encouraging examples of what’s possible."
“I am so excited to be awarded first place in the ‘Keeping AEC Green’ Scholarship," Schaffer said during the award ceremony. "I devised my idea for solar-powered parking lots in my junior year American Politics class. I have always had a great interest and passion for decreasing societies’ roles in global warming, so I came up with a solution.”
Schaffer’s idea utilizes land already affected by infrastructure to produce clean energy and leave more land untouched for wildlife.
“I want to thank my teacher, Mr. Matt Monahan, for assisting me and supporting me upon submission to this scholarship,” she said.
