School buses from around the state filled the parking lot as teams arrived ready to compete in a full slate of events: CO Dragster Races, Robotics Challenge, Flight Challenge, Drone Challenge, Structures Challenge, Problem Solving, and Catapult.
Those engineering challenges were at the heart of the American Castings TSA STEM Challenge, hosted by Pryor High School at the MidAmerica Expo Center.
With representatives from 18 public schools and approximately 300 students in attendance, the MidAmerica Expo Center became a showcase of hands-on STEM learning with a workforce purpose: building the problem-solvers, designers, and technicians needed in Oklahoma’s growing aviation and manufacturing industries.
Sponsored by American Castings, MidAmerica Industrial Park, and PITSCO, the competition emphasized the same skills students will rely on in future careers: problem solving, engineering design, teamwork, and innovation.
One of the first contests of the day put students’ problem-solving and critical-thinking skills to the test as teams gathered around long tables outside the Expo Center—then carried that same mindset indoors, where STEM learning became hands-on performance. In the dragster staging area, students applied engineering design, measurement, and iterative testing as they checked in cars they planned, built, and refined. Nearby, the drone course demanded precision, focus, and control under pressure, while glider launches rewarded careful design choices and a strong understanding of aerodynamics. In the robotics arena, teams adjusted on the fly, combining coding, mechanics, troubleshooting, and strategy in real time.
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Pryor Winners
Pryor students also earned top finishes during the event.
Myka True (10th grade) 1st Place, High School Dragsters (CO Dragster Races) — $200
Quaid Orcutt (11th grade) — 2nd Place, High School Problem Solving (Problem Solving)
Quincy Orcutt (11th grade) — 2nd Place, High School Problem Solving (Problem Solving)
Additional Winners
Middle School Dragsters (Purcell):
1st — $200
2nd -- $100
3rd — $50
4th —$25
High School Dragsters:
1st — Pryor HS, Myka True — $200
2nd — Welch HS — $100
3rd — Welch HS — $50
4th — Welch HS — $25
By the end of the day, the message was clear: STEM competitions like this move learning beyond the textbook and into authentic experiences that mirror the demands of today’s workforce—helping students build confidence and skills they can carry into future training, college pathways, and careers.