62. Students Engineer Success

Affton Unplugged

In this episode of Affton Unplugged, Superintendent Travis Bracht takes a deep dive into the remarkable achievements of students from Affton and neighboring schools participating in the St. Louis Centers for Advanced Professional Studies (STL CAPS) engineering and technology course. Join us as students and their instructor, Mr. Gavin Grillo, share insights into their winning experience at the prestigious Gateway Arch National Park Engineering Contest.

Discover the dynamics of student collaboration, creative engineering solutions, and the journey that led this talented group to secure first place. Learn how this hands-on program is empowering students to explore and excel in professional environments while preparing them for future careers in engineering and technology.

The McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis hosted the Contest Final Presentations. They were viewed by a judge panel consisting of current & retired engineers, engineering professors, and Gateway Arch National Park officials judged the team’s executive summaries & pitches. The STL CAPS team won first place and $1,500 in prize money.

STL CAPS is where high school juniors and seniors fast-forward beyond college to test-drive their future in high-skill, high-demand careers. The program is a collaborative partnership driven by the Affton, Bayless, Kirkwood, Lindbergh and Mehlville school districts. The engineering competition involved 13 students from 6 different high schools including Affton, Bayless, Kirkwood, Lindbergh, Oakville and Seckman.