Special STEMs team wins thousands in eco challenge

The Special STEMs team at Lebanon Trail High School in Frisco won more than $20,000 in a national challenge.

Five students from the school’s Best Buddies chapter paired with five students who have an intellectual or developmental disability. They competed as a team in the Lexus Eco Challenge.

For the national competition, the team partnered with other schools in the district for a waste mindfulness project. They were determined to make a difference.

“I learned that, you know, you can put a group of anybody together and that anybody can make a difference. In this competition, there was no special category for students with special needs. We competed at the same level as everybody else across the country. So I think it was special for each and every one of us that we were able to make an impact when a lot of people said we couldn’t. But we did. We did that,” said Zachary Siegel, a Special STEMs team member.

Because of the students’ outreach and community impact, the city of Frisco declared Nov. 6 Special STEM Day.