West Virginia Press Association
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) Office of Career Technical Education has announced the winner of the third annual Culineering Challenge. The Seismic Sting Squad from Hundred High School in Wetzel County was named grand champion during the awards presentation at Mountwest Community and Technical College in Huntington today. The competition is based on the Netflix® competition Baking Impossible, and stars from the show traveled to Huntington to mentor students and judge the Challenge.
Nine teams of West Virginia high and middle school students participated in the exciting display of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) as well as culinary and hospitality skills. Each Culineering team was comprised of two culinary students, two engineering students and one social media influencer who worked together to design and build an edible structure to withstand a barrage of tremors on a specially designed “shake table.”
The social media influencer documented the team’s progress over various platforms. Baking Impossible winner Sara Schonour and other former cast members judged the event and offered guidance to the high school teams. Team Master Piece from Huntington High School/Huntington East Middle School (Cabell County) won second place, and the Marion Maker Bots from the Marion County Technical Center (Marion County) earned third place.
Participating teams included:
| Team Name | School | County | Social Media |
| JRTI STEAM Team | James Rumsey Technical Institute | Berkeley | Facebook: JRTI STEAM Team |
| Master Piece | Huntington High School/Huntington East Middle School | Cabell | Facebook: Huntington High ProStart |
| Marion Baker Bots | Marion County Technical Center | Marion | Facebook: Marion County Tech Center |
| MCTEC Tremor Tamers | Mercer County Technical Education Center | Mercer | Facebook: Mercer County Technical Education Center – MCTEC |
| Seismic Sweets | Wheeling Park High School | Ohio | Facebook: Seismic Sweets |
| Tiered & Geared | Spring Valley High School | Wayne | Facebook: Tiered & Geared |
| Seismic Sting Squad | Hundred High School | Wetzel | Facebook: Covered Bridge-Bakery |
| Wetzel Tech Shake and Bake | Wetzel County Technical Education Center | Facebook: WCTEC Team Shake & Bake | |
| WYCO | Wyoming Career & Technical Center | Wyoming | Facebook: Wyoming County Career & Technical Center |
“I am overwhelmed to see this wonderful event come from our show,” said Sara Schonour, who, along with teammate Rodolfo Goncalves, won the Baking Impossible competition. “I hope students remember this feeling because they did an incredible job. It comes down to the staff, leadership and teachers who deserve a huge round of applause. Also, the WVDE has gone above and beyond to bring this experience to these students. It has been a joy to be a part of it all.”
“Career technical education offers limitless opportunities for students to find success,” said State Superintendent Michele L. Blatt. “The Culineering Challenge showcases the creativity, innovation and skills of West Virginia students and introduces viable career pathways. The future is being built as we speak, and it is exciting to be a part of it all.”
Assistant Superintendent of PK – Adult Education and Career Engagement Clinton Burch created the Culineering Challenge three years ago after watching baking and engineering competitions on television. “Knowing the creativity, skill and ingenuity that exists within our CTE programs, I knew our students were up to the challenge,” said Assistant Superintendent Burch. “This is an example of learning coming alive in very important ways because students work across disciplines to achieve a common goal.”
Culineering Challenge awards include $5,000 for the grand champion team; $3,000 for second place, and $2,000 for third place. Additionally, each student on the grand champion team receives $200 provided by the West Virginia Hospitality and Travel Association and Education Foundation. The top three teams also receive a custom engraved cutting board for their classrooms.
The WVDE offers special thanks to Netflix® Baking Impossible stars Vanessa Barcelo, Edwin Chiu, Menuka Gamage, Rodolfo Goncalves, Randi Leese, Cindy Ngar, Brandi Romines, Sara Schonour, Jacob Swiezy, Taylor Tabb and Hannah Walden for the time, enthusiasm, expertise and encouragement extended to West Virginia students during the preparation, production and execution of the Culineering Challenge.
The recorded live stream of the event will be posted on the WVDE YouTube page, and photos are available on the WVDE Flickr album.
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Feature image: Hundred High School students and staff Julian Conaway; Sean Snedden (instructor); Lynzee Hippensteel; Tationna Adams; Jeanine Watson (instructor); Connor Snedden and Austin Hayes are pictured with Assistant Superintendent Clinton Burch (center) after winning the Third Annual Culineering Challenge.
