Students at schools across eastern Kentucky took home fifteen wins at the 2026 Student Technology Leadership Program state championship including two top statewide awards, a 6-8 division runner-up, three Top 20 selections, and nine Level 3 honors. Every project came out of a school within one of KVEC’s 28 member districts, and every one was designed and built by the students themselves.
Top of the State
The headline win came out of Floyd County. Students at James D. Adams Middle School took home Best 6-8 Project in Kentucky with Flood Guard, a creek-monitoring alert system built in direct response to the devastating February 2025 floods. The team set out to keep families from having to walk out into the weather in the middle of the night to check rising water.
Morgan County High School took home Best Technical Project in Kentucky with Breaking Point Initiative, a waterline probe designed to deliver safer, healthier drinking water. It’s a problem too many Kentucky homes know firsthand, and these high schoolers took it on directly.
And another team from James D. Adams earned Runner Up in the 6-8 Division with Comfort Bear, an anxiety-comfort toy built around a microbit that walks kids through therapist-recommended coping exercises. Sensory paws, optional scent stickers, even a travel-sized version with backpack straps.
Top 20
Three more projects from KVEC districts landed in the Top 20:
- Touch and Go — Duff-Allen Central Elementary (Floyd County). 3D-printed Braille labels making the school easier to navigate for visually impaired students and visitors.
- BLHS Alerts — Betsy Layne High School (Floyd County). A student-run social media operation keeping their school community in the loop.
- Last Call Lift — Floyd County School of Innovation. A wearable BAC-monitoring bracelet aimed squarely at preventing drunk driving deaths.
Level 3 Recognition
Nine more projects rounded out the list:
- Project Enable — Ashland Middle School (Ashland Independent). Custom assistive technology designed and built for peers facing physical limitations.
- Project Revive — Ashland Middle School (Ashland Independent). A wearable opioid overdose detector that monitors vitals, alerts emergency services, and walks bystanders through administering its integrated Narcan dose.
- The Blessing Box — Right Fork School Center (Bell County). Spreading the word about the community blessing box and the people it serves.
- The Focus Phone — Breathitt County High School. A phone-shaped fidget device that helps with concentration, anxiety, and stress.
- Wheels of Change — Hindman Elementary (Knott County). ATV safety awareness
- Treasury Trees — Herald Whitaker Middle School (Magoffin County). Trees planted in the school courtyard in honor of local leaders, paired with history classes built around their stories.
- The Lunchtime Legends — East Valley Elementary (Morgan County). Cutting school food waste through better lunch choices.
- Online Seizure Pets — Morgan County Middle School. A real-time seizure alert system for people who need help fast.
- WALNUT — Paintsville Elementary (Paintsville Independent). Working with Appalachian Learners Nurturing Unique Trades
Videos will be dropping soon so make you you stay tuned to the KVEC Facebook page!
