Whitfield Students Earn National, State, and Regional STEM Honors

Whitfield proudly celebrates Jack Lynch ’26, Maeve Toolan ’26, and Danielle Kovalic ’26 for earning top recognition in national, state, and regional STEM competitions. Their award-winning projects reflect creativity, scientific curiosity, and a passion for solving real-world challenges.

• Jack Lynch ’26 earned First Place in the National Eye Institute's Eye on the Future Teen Video Contest for his visually compelling, scientifically grounded video exploring how bass and bluegill see their underwater world. Drawing on his love of fishing and the outdoors, Jack used Adobe After Effects—software he taught himself through independent study—to create a high-end infographic-style video. His project blends wildlife biology with motion graphics and highlights his growing interest in the science behind digital creation and video technology. [Watch Jack’s winning video here]
• Maeve Toolan ’26 earned Second Place in the Missouri ArcGIS StoryMap Competition for her entry Biking Missouri. Combining personal reflection with statewide data, Maeve traces how biking became a central part of her life during the pandemic and expands the narrative to explore its health, environmental, and community benefits across Missouri. Her StoryMap exemplifies spatial storytelling and data literacy—demonstrating how personal passion can scale into broader public impact. [Explore Maeve’s StoryMap here]
• Danielle Kovalic ’26 was selected as Whitfield’s recipient of the 2023–2024 World Wide Technology Raceway STEM Star Award, which honors outstanding high school STEM students. Danielle earned this recognition for her interdisciplinary work in physics and computer science and for founding Cloud Club, Whitfield’s environmental science and advocacy organization. As part of her physics coursework, she created a StoryMap titled Racing Toward Net Zero, which explores how Formula One and motorsports are driving innovations in environmental sustainability—from fuel alternatives and energy recovery systems to design practices that reduce ecological impact. [Explore Danielle’s StoryMap here]

All three students’ projects will be featured at STEM EXPO 2025: The Warrior Greenprint – Engineering Tomorrow on Friday, May 23 | 9:00 AM–3:30 PM | Schmitter Gallery.