A group of Corinth seventh graders hope to solve a long-time problem facing disaster victims: getting a temporary roof over the heads.
Teacher B.J. Garcia’s math classes at Ronny Crownover Middle School in the Denton ISD have started designing disaster relief pods.
The structures will essentially be small, portable homes that can be brought into areas affected by natural disasters to provide temporary homes for those who lost everything.
Garcia said he came up with the project as he looked back on the issues with FEMA trailers and other housing options used during Hurricane Katrina and other major disasters.
So, the teacher and his students pitched the idea to Samsung electronics for the company’s "Solve for Tomorrow" contest, and they were chosen recently as one of the top ideas in the state.
Along with a $25,000 grant from the company, they now advance to the next stage of the contest.
The 11 13-year-olds are now creating scaled 3D renderings and computer models of potential designs for the pods.
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They plan to consult with local architects, meteorologists and other experts in the coming weeks to create a final pitch for the pods that will go back to Samsung.
From there, they compete to be one of only 10 entrants in the country to take their pitch to Washington D.C. and compete for more than $150,000 in grants for the school and major attention for their design that Garcia hopes could see their plans become a reality.
