Carter, Rialto High Schools advance in MESA Science Competition

In a battle of wits and ingenuity, the Rialto Unified School District was well represented at the recent Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) Day Competition at the University of California, Riverside, with teams from Carter and Rialto High School placing and advancing.

Carter and Rialto High School students competed on March 4 against other Inland Empire MESA students in the annual MESA Day competition. Carter and Rialto High School combined to have four teams take first place and advance to the MESA Southern California Regional Competition in April. The Lions and Knights rose to the occasion with performances that were nothing short of exceptional. From coding challenges to engineering feats, these teams left no doubt that they are among the brightest young minds in the region. 

Rialto High School’s Raiaan Hossain, Juan Ascencio-Martinez, and Harnoor Babbar took first place in the Math Escape Challenge. Rialto High School’s Luis Ochoa and Anthony Freeman took first place in the Think Tank competition for ninth and tenth-grade students. Carter High School’s Madison Inzunza, Rachel Montanez, and Abraham Montanez are advancing after taking first place in the Crime Scene Investigation competition. Finally, in the Best Moonbase Performance Reaching 200 centimeters, Carter High School’s Autumn Covington, Aidan Lim and Jonathan Arevalo took first place in the ninth and tenth-grade category to advance to the next round of competition.  

Under the guidance of Catherine Sanchez, Carter High School MESA Advisor and science teacher, and Mikal Thompson, Rialto High School MESA Advisor and science teacher, students at their respective schools worked for months designing, building, and testing different projects to compete in several events.

“As the coach and advisor for the MESA classes at Carter High School, I am proud of each and every student in the class,” Sanchez said. “They have proven time and time again that with hard work, perseverance, and teamwork you can accomplish anything and become victorious.”

Please see below for a full list of students who placed during the competition.

Math Escape Challenge

Rialto High School

1st Place – Raiaan Hossain, Juan Ascencio-Martinez, Harnoor Babbar

Carter High School

2nd Place – Autumn Covington, Aidan Lim, Jonathan Arevalo

Think Tank 

Rialto High School

9th/10th Grade – 1st Place – Luis Ochoa, Anthony Freeman

11th/12th Grade – 3rd Place – Frederick Barraza, Abraham Rodriguez, Aiden McAllister

Cargo Glider

Rialto High School

9th/10th Grade – 2nd Place – Christian Rojas, David Ramirez

Moon Base

Rialto High School

9th/10th Grade – 2nd Place – Ashley Nunez and Jesus Ramirez Valenzuela

Carter High School

9th/10th Grade “Best Design & Performance Reaching 200cm” – Autumn Covington, Aidan Lim, Jonathan Arevalo

Coding Competition

Carter High School

3rd Place – Autumn Covington, Aidan Lim, Jonathan Arevalo

Crime Scene Investigation

Carter High School

1st Place – Madison Inzunza, Rachel Montanez, Abraham Montanez

2nd Place – Gavin Crow, Adam Rios, Isabella Lepe, Joshua Paul De Guzman

3rd Place – David Naranjo, Nicole Orihuela, Valerie Rodriguez