STX STUDENT INNOVATION: 2026 STEM Expo to Showcase Top School Science Winners

John McCarthyPosted oninAt VIFreep, Breaking News, Community Affairs, Education News, St. Croix NewsLeave a comment

By JOHN McCARTHY / V.I. Free Press Staff Writer

FREDERIKSTED — The future of local innovation will be on full display this Thursday as the Virgin Islands Department of Education (VIDE) hosts the STEM Expo 2026 at the UVI RTPark.

The annual event, which runs from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on April 23, serves as a victory lap for the top five winners from each participating school across the St. Croix District. These K-12 student innovators will present projects demonstrating critical thinking in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM).

Beyond the Classroom

The Expo is designed to move student work from the theoretical to the practical, encouraging “academic excellence” by applying classroom knowledge to real-world challenges. Students will be recognized with awards and prizes for their scientific inquiry and creativity.

The event is a joint sponsorship between the VIDE Division of Curriculum and Instruction (STX District) and the UVI RTPark.

John McCarthy

John F. McCarthy is a veteran journalist in the Caribbean, writing from the "Decision Space" where survival meets the surreal. His reporting steel was tempered by a lineage of legendary editors and broadcasters, including Ed Wynn Brant (The Bomb), Owen Eschenroder (Ann Arbor News), Lynelle Emanuel (BVI Beacon), and Charles Thanas (WSVI-TV). Alongside longtime colleague Kenneth C. "Casey" Clark, McCarthy has navigated the front lines of the territory’s history—from the 1997 volcanic "snow" to every major hurricane since Hugo. Known for leaning out of doorless helicopters to capture the "money shot," McCarthy now edits the V.I. Free Press, providing the essential link between the island's colonial past and its SpaceX future.

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