Also in the Mars Rover competition, six teams from the Bales Intermediate 5th grade SEARCH program competed in the annual Mars Rover Celebration.  The sponsor of the event is the University of Houston Main Campus.

           In class, students research Mars, prepare a model of a future rover, and perform a skit that describes the rover and its mission. Students began work in November to prepare for the annual contest.        
           Placing 3rd was Caroline Donovan, Rikki Ellard, Sarah Hall and Elizabeth Westerfeld;
           Placing 2nd was Evan Kelly, Evan Mueller, Weston Owens and Jake Revere;
           Winning 1st place was Hannah Burton, Mary Katherine Donovan, Helena Haas, and Arianna Mitchell.
           Also competing was the team of Nathan Gest, Zach Kunkel, and Donovan Rowley; the team of Morgan Evan, Miles Mabry, Thomas Nagle, and Charlotte Serage; and the team of Alex Chisholm, Josh Gruener, and Ryan Hopkins.
           Dr. Edgar Bering III, a professor of the physics at the University of Houston, coordinates the celebration each year.  The competition challenges the students to learn about space exploration and also promotes teamwork.  The hope is that the by participating in such events, students will be inspired to plan careers in engineering, aerospace, and math and science fields.
           Suzi Williams is the sponsor of the SEARCH program at Bales Intermediate.