Cotter Engineering Team Wins Make48 National Championship

A Cotter Schools engineering team, sponsored by Slaggie Capital Group, has been named the Make48 National Champion after competing this past weekend in Kansas City. Make48 is a fast-paced invention competition in which teams have 48 hours to develop an idea, build a working prototype and pitch their solution to judges in response to a real-world challenge from a sponsoring company.

This year’s national challenge partnered with Veterans Community Project (VCP), giving students an opportunity to develop a solution that would help raise awareness of and support the organization’s mission.

“Make48 Nationals gave talented teams a real problem and just 48 hours to develop a solution. Partnering with Veterans Community Project made the challenge especially meaningful, and the deserving champions from Cotter Schools in Winona, Minnesota, created a polished, working prototype with the potential to help more people learn about and support VCP’s mission,” said Tom Gray, CEO of Make48. “Well done to every team that competed throughout Season 10. It was a proud moment for the entire Make48 team.”

Architecting the Mastery, made up of Cotter students Jaxson Greshik, Brielle Staudacher and Jack Slaggie, competed against seven of the nation’s top teams in the 48-hour engineering challenge, putting their creativity, problem-solving, innovation and teamwork to the test.

“Make48 has created something really special. It’s an incredible educational experience, supported by people who genuinely care about giving students opportunities to use their talents. I couldn’t be prouder of our students. They worked incredibly hard, pushed through challenges, and earned this success,” said Eric Paulsen, Cotter’s Coach and Engineering/STEM teacher.

The team’s path to the national championship began with more than 2,500 students nationwide, representing an estimated 800-plus teams. After regional competition, 28 teams advanced to the playoff level, with seven ultimately earning a spot at the national championship. From those seven teams, Architecting the Mastery emerged as the national champion.

Throughout the competition, the Cotter students worked together under pressure to develop and build a solution to the challenge. Their ability to think creatively, adapt to obstacles, and work as a team helped them earn the national championship.

“We’re extremely grateful for the generosity of our sponsor and the support of our school community throughout this journey,” Paulsen said. “It’s wonderful to see these students receive the recognition they’ve earned.”

The Make48 competition allows students to experience the engineering design process in a fast-paced, hands-on environment. Teams are challenged to develop, prototype, and build a solution within a 48-hour timeframe.