Innovation was on full display as the Pikeville Independent School District traveled to the Central Bank Center and Rupp Arena on April 24, 2026, for the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) Student Technology Leadership Program (STLP) State Championship. Since 1994, STLP has used project-based learning to empower students to "design, make, connect, and learn" through original digital content. This year, our students didn't just participate—they led the way!
A Historic Repeat and New Champions
The spotlight of the evening belonged to our 2026 State Champions. In an incredible display of consistency and skill, the LEGO STEAM Superpower (K-5) team of Luke Arnett, Owen Justice, Abram Lee, and Mika Olegario claimed their second consecutive state title. This group made history by winning the inaugural championship for this category in 2025 and returning this year to secure a repeat win for Pikeville.
Joining them in the winner's circle was our Game Design (6-8) team, featuring Alex Khater, Milo Reynolds, and Bryson Salyers, who were also crowned State Champions for their exceptional technical and creative work.
The "Cinemania" Spotlight
Pikeville brought a massive wave of talent to the Cinemania competition, where students act as creative communicators by expressing themselves through digital media. We are proud to recognize our large Cinemania team for their hard work and collaboration: Harper Hancock, Liam Webb, Jackson Cline, Lucy Summerhays, Tessa Porter, Liam Draughn, Gabby Scott, Serenity Schwing, Riley King, Justice Fouts, Felicity Sisco, Lauryn Thomas, Brynn Elkins, Jonathan Bone, Emma Ramey, AJ Haynes, Zane Hamilton, Brody Fraley, Finley Hobbs, and Liam Blackburn.
Live Challenge Excellence
Our students excelled in high-pressure Live Challenges, demonstrating their status as innovative designers and computational thinkers. Pikeville was well-represented in several categories:
Tech Bowl: Congratulations to our Junior High teams who competed in this fast-paced knowledge challenge: William Jackson and Drew Mullins, along with Zane Hamilton and Lauryn Thomas.
AI Challenge: Showing they are on the cutting edge of technology, Harper Hancock, Liam Webb, AJ Haynes, and Elliot Potter participated in the AI On-Demand challenge, which requires students to solve problems using artificial intelligence tools.
UK Web Coding Challenge: Jackson Cline and Milo Reynolds showcased their programming skills in this intense coding event.
Rising to the Top: State Semi-Finalists
Several other Pikeville students distinguished themselves among the best in Kentucky as State Semi-Finalists in the Creative Digital Arts (CDA) categories:
Digital Storytelling: Jenna Charles
ePublishing: Gabby Khater
Podcast: Polly Childers, Madilyn Darby, Emma Elliott, and Gabby Khater
Sphero Goes to the Movies: Madilyn Darby, Emma Elliott, Eli Hamilton, Jett Shepherd, Brooklyn Salyers, Bryson Salyers, and Caroline Warnock
Showcasing Innovation in State Qualifying Projects
Our students also shined during the Level 2 Project judging, where they presented long-term technology solutions to community problems:
"Tactile Tales of the Alphabet" (K-5): Nicholas Ghobrial, Norah Justice, Silas Michalovic, and Escher Webb.
"Growing Up Healthy" (K-5): Macy Curry, Erin Elliott, Maddie Justice, Macy Taylor, Stella Thacker, Norah Webb, Landyn Windle, Mia Valentino, and Millie Varney.
"Bringing History to Life" (6-8): Jenna Charles, Zoe Coleman, Kinze Crum, Emma Elliott, Mia Mullins, and Mila Sherman.
Celebrating Every Participant
STLP is about the growth of every student involved as a digital citizen and knowledge constructor. We are incredibly proud of all our participants who submitted projects and attended the event, including Marlei Rogers and Milo Reynolds (Logo Design), Aria Cline (Book Cover), Bryson Salyers and Alex Khater (Scratch Coding), Harper Hancock (Screen Capture), Lucy Summerhayes and Tessa Porter (Public Service Announcement), and Liam Webb (Infographic).
Congratulations to all our Pikeville Independent STLP students! You have proven once again that you are the next generation of global collaborators.
