Uchechukwu Nnaike
For the second consecutive year, three students of Greensprings School have brought honour to their school and country by securing the overall best-in-Nigeria position in the final stage of the 2024 Conrad Challenge.
The winners, Idara Attah, Imabong Apkan-Chinyere and Mirabel Njoku, competed as “Team Lavendaire” and emerged the winner for creating an innovative phone application ‘Juiceitup’. The app uses an AI algorithm to recommend personalised juice-making ratios from various fruits to aid patients’ recovery from illnesses.
Their innovative project earned them scholarships valued at $894,000 and a cash prize of ₦1,500,000. In addition to Team Lavendaire’s achievement, nine other teams from the school who made the finals have received $6,400,000 worth of scholarships with the first runner-up team of the competition, also from the school, getting a cash prize of ₦1,000,000.
The students’ accomplishment came just a year after another trio from Greensprings, Segun Balogun, Adewale Saliu, and David Onukwugha, attained the overall best-in-Nigeria position in the 2023 Conrad Challenge and represented Nigeria at the Global Conrad Summit at NASA’s Johnson/Kennedy Space Center, USA.
In a statement by the school, the Assistant Principal of Enhancement, Mr. Afolabi Amusan said “we were mindful of our position as the national winner from 2023, so we went into this year’s challenge to defend our title. At the finals, we presented 10 teams of 35 students who had qualified from the initial stages of the competition. These students were coached and supported by a team of hard working and dedicated teachers led by two of the school’s teachers, Mr. Aleilo and Mr. Raimi.”
He added: “The finalists took their performance a notch higher than the previous year. While Team Lavendaire clinched the overall best-in-Nigeria award, some of the other teams won awards like first runner-up and best in Energy and Environment, which was received by Team Mono; best in Aviation and Aerospace by Team Kryptonite; and best in Cyber Technology and Security won by Team Unit.”
Amusan disclosed that, in addition to their cash prize and scholarships, Team Lavendaire will represent Nigeria in the 2024 Conrad World Summit in April at The Space Center in Houston, USA.
He added that other teams, such as Team Mono, the first runner-up received a cash prize of ₦1,000,000, while each member of the nine finalist teams was awarded $80,000 in Menlo College USA, $60,000 in Lewis and Clark College USA, and $60,000 in Clarkson University USA, making a total of $6,400,000 worth of scholarships for the students.
The Executive Director of Greensprings, Mrs. Lai Koiki, congratulated the students on the feat recorded at the Conrad Challenge, and commended them and their mentors for their hard work and dedication.
The school’s Deputy Director of Education, Mrs. Feyisara Ojugo, expressed satisfaction with the students’ achievements, saying, “this news is worth celebrating. We are very proud of the hard work and effort that went into this year’s challenge. Our sincere appreciation goes to the team of teachers/coaches that worked with our students – Mr. Aleilo, Mr. Raimi, Mr. Oluwadara, Mr. Opasina, Mr. Adadu and Ms. Paseda.”
“Thank you for supporting our students to achieve this outstanding feat. And very well done to our resilient and industrious students for leveraging this opportunity and their parents for supporting them.”
Ojugo added that the school looks forward to celebrating many more achievements of its students.
The Conrad Challenge is a purpose-driven innovation competition to create the next generation of entrepreneurs who will change the world. It presents a unique opportunity for ingenious young minds in the country to collaborate, brainstorm and come up with STEM-enabled innovations/inventions with market potential.
