Everett High School STEM Club cleared to compete in Charlotte nationals; committee votes to approve travel

The Everett School Committee on March 17 approved, by an 8-0 roll call, a request for the Everett High School STEM Club to travel to Charlotte/Concord, North Carolina, to compete at the 10‑80 Racing Challenge 2025 nationals from April 24 through April 27, 2025.

Kelly St. Ford, the student representative and a co-captain of the STEM club, presented the club’s mission, event experience from prior years and a proposed travel budget. St. Ford said the club’s activities include racing/mechanics events, robotics and a business/pitch team. "The STEM club empowers every high school student by allowing them to explore, innovate, and excel in science, technology, engineering and mathematics through our hands-on learning experience," she said.

Presentation materials reviewed by the committee showed last year’s travel group was about 14 students and two adults. St. Ford described proposed logistics: travel by airplane, rental cars, and hotel near the Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord to be closer to event venues. The club presented budget line items the committee discussed: round-trip flights through a travel agency estimated at about $745 per person (the club also reported a direct-airfare estimate of about $441 per person), hotels in the approximate range of $355–$455 per night, rental cars estimated about $2,000 for the group, and a per-student meal estimate of about $40 per day.

Committee members asked about student safety and financing. St. Ford described the club’s student-safety contract and rules: students sign a contract committing to stay in their rooms after midnight except with teacher permission; students are expected to keep phones with them; a buddy system is required; and students must follow teachers’ directions. During discussion, Mayor DeMaria asked how the club arrived at the $40-per-day meal budget; St. Ford said that reflected convenience options near the hotel and that last year some costs exceeded estimates. Several committee members thanked the students for a detailed presentation; Miss Babcock offered praise and said the trip is a valuable learning opportunity.

The committee moved and seconded a motion for favorable action to approve the travel request. Roll-call voting was unanimous in favor. Committee members and others in the meeting offered to support fundraising or donations; one committee member said he would coordinate a food donation with the superintendent.

The motion authorizes the club to travel and compete; implementation details, including final bookings and exact cost allocations, were not finalized in the March 17 meeting and will be handled by district staff and the club under existing student-travel procedures.