Heath Middle School Student Wins 2022 Design Contest for DOE Science Bowl

PADUCAH, Ky. — Eleanor Polete, a sixth-grader at Heath Middle School, was recently selected as the winner of this year’s U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) West Kentucky Regional Science Bowl t-shirt design contest.

“I thought of the design while I was eating cereal in the morning and it reminded me of the Science Bowl, so I decided to make a doodle of it,” Polete said. “Then, the Science Bowl team decided it would be a good t-shirt design, so I cleaned it up a bit, changed around the colors and made the finalized design,” Polete said.

Local middle and high school students were given the design challenge by DOE’s Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office as part of the annual Science Bowl competition to be held in February. This year’s competitions will be conducted virtually. High school students will compete on February 4, followed by those from middle schools on February 18.

Polete’s design will be on the 2022 official t-shirt given to all participating students and coaches to wear during the virtual Science Bowl competition. Heath Middle School received a $500 cash prize for Polete’s design.

“I was really excited by her initial concept,” Heath Science Bowl Coach Brandy Roberts said. “Then, the whole team pitched in ideas and she digitally drew it herself with no clip-art. I was really impressed by her.”

This is the fifth year for the t-shirt design contest and the 14th year for the West Kentucky Regional competition. The Science Bowl attracts dozens of schools and hundreds of regional students to compete for the opportunity to advance to the national level.

“The West Kentucky Regional Science Bowl is a great opportunity for our local students to showcase their talents,” said Jennifer Woodard, DOE’s Paducah Site Lead for the Portsmouth/Paducah Project Office. “They compete against the region’s most advanced students, demonstrating their scientific knowledge and quick-recall skills.”