Middle schoolers take part in STEM challenge at Catholic Memorial HS

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- The gym at Catholic Memorial High School was packed with hundreds of middle school kids Tuesday. 

They were there, not for sports or music, but for a STEM competition.

These kids came from 24 public and private schools in Milwaukee and Waukesha counties. They're challenged to show off their science, math and technology skills by completing a task. 

This year's task was to build a vehicle that could travel down a ramp and hit a target. The three vehicles closest to the target earned scholarships for their young builders. 

One of the high school students working at the competition tells us this challenge helped her know that she wants to be an engineer. 

"Me being able to help these students kind of learn what they want to do in the future, whether they want to be an engineer or not, maybe something with math or science, you know, it makes me feel like I'm actually helping them learn," said junior Mary Grace Bohne. 

The point here is to introduce and encourage students to the possibility of a career in science, tech, engineering and math.