Mapping Out Solutions

Among the various academic awards presented to St. Joseph School students in grades 7-11 on May 21 two went to a couple of 8th grade girls in Ms. Karen Davis' GIS (Geographic Information System) class. Chloe Skinner and Marleigh Thessing entered the Arkansas ARCGIS Online Map Contest which was sponsored by ESRI, an international supplier of geographic information system software, the Arkansas Geographic Alliance and others. Chloe won 3rd Place in the middle school category while Marleigh earned 4th place in the same division. 
Those who enter this mapping competition are invited to explore situations in their states and share the results in a story map. In this case, the maps had to be original creations of each student and focused on an Arkansas-based theme.
Chloe's map dealt with "How Have Conway's Businesses Grown in the Last Five years?" Marleigh's looked at "What Form of Traffic Control is Best for Conway?" 
In so doing, both girls began to build skills for college and and future service to their communities. The top five maps in each grade band were to be awarded $100. The 1st Place State Winner goes to the National ArcGIS Online Map Contest sponsored by ESRI.