Central Columbia Students Showcase Skills at 2025 Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Challenge
BLOOMSBURG, PA – The Foundation of the Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce proudly hosted its annual Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Challenge on Friday, April 25, 2025, at Central Columbia’s Blue Jay Academy. Designed to foster innovation, leadership, and real-world problem-solving, the event brought an afternoon of exciting competition and career exploration to local students.
Junior and senior students from Central Columbia High School participated, working in teams to complete a series of drone-based missions that tested their critical thinking and collaboration skills. The winning team included Davin Ridall, Ethan Flook, Ramsey Kingston, Elijah Geedy, and Kyran Fernsler, led by teacher EJ Smith, with support from fellow educators Scott Osbourne and Jared Spade, and mentor Tom Gill, a retired physics teacher. Each winning team member was awarded a $100 scholarship from the Foundation and celebrated their victory with a pizza party.
"The Sea, Air & Land Challenge is a perfect example of how hands-on experiences can inspire and empower students. We're proud to work with educators, industry partners, and mentors to help students build skills for the future while having a lot of fun along the way," said Tonya Smith, Director of the Foundation of the Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce.
Highlights of the event included an inspiring presentation by John Sibole, Director of Aviation at Eastern Mennonite University, who shared insights into aviation career pathways. Susan Zingaro, Sea, Air, and Land Challenge Central Coordinator, also contributed to the experience by leading the drone challenge course and ensuring every participant received a SEAL Challenge t-shirt as a keepsake.
The Sea, Air, and Land Challenge is an annual program organized by the Foundation of the Columbia Montour Chamber to provide middle and high school students with hands-on, project-based learning opportunities that bridge education and workforce development.
Teachers and schools interested in participating in next year's SEAL Challenge or learning more about the Foundation’s youth programs are encouraged to visit https://www.columbiamontourchamber.com/foundation/.
The Foundation of the Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce remains committed to preparing the next generation of leaders and innovators through programs like the Sea, Air, and Land Challenge, where students put their skills into action and connect classroom learning with real-world experiences.
Contact:
Tonya Smith
Director, Foundation of the Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce
foundation@columbiamontourchamber.com
The Sea, Air, and Land Challenge is a national program sponsored by Penn State University that encourages middle and high school students to build solutions to real-world Department of Defense problems. For more information about the SEAL Challenge program, visit https://seaairland.psu.edu.