Photo Caption: “Not Fast, Just Furious,” a team from Anderson, poses after winning first place during the Make48 national qualifier at Purdue Polytechnic Institute in Anderson in July.
After a successful competition in July at Purdue Polytechnic Anderson, students from Anderson and Frankton high schools will participate in the Make48 Season 7 Nationals in Little Rock, Arkansas.
In preparation for the Nov. 10-12 competition, teams consisting of four students and at least one coach will create or improve a product that coincides with a theme or, in this case, a charitable cause.
Joshua Dillard, a mentor for the Anderson team “Not Fast, Just Furious,” said projects will center on helping the homeless in the Little Rock area.
Each of the eight teams competing at nationals will have 48 hours to develop and sell their project. The winner will receive $10,000.
Both Madison County teams competed for spots at nationals during the Anderson qualifier at Purdue Polytechnic. There, the Anderson group took first place and the Frankton group took second.
The challenge was to create something revolving around outdoor furniture, according to the Make48 competition page.
The Anderson group created a multi-use piece of outdoor furniture while the Frankton group managed to turn a game into a usable chair.
Precise details were not disclosed — each team signed a non-disclosure agreement, according to Frankton coach Randy England.
Details will be disclosed to a national audience. Each of the qualifying competitions, including the one at Purdue Polytechnic, will air as episodes of the Make48 TV show’s seventh season.
Episodes are expected to air sometime between November and December. Seasons 1-6 are available via Roku Channel 458, PBS.com or YouTube, according to the Make48 website.
Allison Rios, a member of the Anderson team, is excited to represent fellow Latin Americans on national television.
“I’m happy to show someone of a race that isn’t very prominent on television to show that, yes, they can do it,” she said. “Hopefully, it shows that I’m a role model.
“I want some little girl watching TV to see that. I want her to see, ‘Oh, wait, I can do that.’”
Rios’ 16th birthday coincided with the Anderson qualifier. Rather than spend all day celebrating with friends and family, she returned to the competition.
“She came back in her formal dress and finished Saturday night with us until midnight,” Dillard said.
England said the Frankton team is adept at problem solving and collaboration.
“They’re fun kids,” England said. “They’re fun to be around, they think outside the box as far as problem solving, and they work great as a team, too.
“Part of (the contest) is, you have put together a one-minute video selling your product,” he continued. “We have a kid who’s really good at the video part, and we have a kid who’s good at designing. As a team, they work really well together.”
This article appeared in The Herald Bulletin.