Water towers may be a familiar sight across Forsyth County, but for 26 middle school students, they became a hands-on lesson in engineering, teamwork and problem solving during the second annual Model Water Tower Competition hosted by the Forsyth County Department of Water & Sewer.

The competition took place Saturday, Dec. 6, at Riverwatch Middle School and built on the success of last year’s inaugural event. Fifteen teams constructed and tested functional model water towers, which were judged on structural and hydraulic efficiency, design ingenuity, best engineering design, presentation and cost effectiveness.

Top-performing teams received cash prizes. First place was awarded to Rajkumar Elamaaran Vasanth and Ansh Patel ($300), second place to Nick Spindler, Michael Momotok, Athrva Bector and Srikar Pittu ($200), and third place to Aryaman Dhanjal and Sajid Makhani ($100). The top two teams will advance to compete at the state level.

“The Model Water Tower Competition provides students with the opportunity to interact with working water professionals and create a connection between the incoming workforce and the current one,” said Forsyth County Department of Water & Sewer Community Outreach Specialist Nishat Sial. “Through the competition, the students were able to practice valuable life skills such as critical thinking, communication, problem solving and public speaking, while also strengthening their engineering skills and knowledge.”

This year’s competition saw significant growth, expanding from six towers in its first year to 15 towers in its second. Sial credited that growth to increased student interest and strong support from Riverwatch Middle School.

“It’s incredible to see how much this competition has grown in just one year,” Sial said. “The level of interest from students was outstanding, and we could not have done this without the support and advocacy of Jennifer Pegues.”

Pegues, an Engineering & Technology teacher at Riverwatch Middle School, spearheaded the effort on the school’s side and encouraged both her classes and Technology Student Association (TSA) club members to participate. Students from grades six through eight were represented.

Teams were mentored throughout the fall by local engineering professionals, including Chris Clark and Petersen Benjamin from Hazen and Sawyer, as well as Dan Shaw from the Forsyth County Department of Water & Sewer. Clark and Shaw also assisted during the competition itself.

Seven Forsyth County Water & Sewer employees volunteered to assist with scoring, representing a wide range of roles including engineering, finance, administration and asset management (GIS).

Forsyth County Water & Sewer plans to continue hosting the Model Water Tower Competition in the years ahead, further strengthening the connection between students, educators and the professionals who help deliver safe, reliable water to the community.