Clinton County Middle School students named top 20 finalists in national STEM competition  

CLINTON COUNTY, Mo. (KQTV)-- Students from Clinton County Middle School have been named top 20 finalists out of 710 entries in the 2025–2026 National Burns & McDonnell Battle of the Brains competition. 

The Clinton County R-3 team competed with an exhibit called “Autoverse: The Science of Cars,” led by teacher Bridget Welch.  

“The first time we did it, it was kind of trial and error, then the last time we did it with the same group of kids, they got in the top 20 this time. They really dove into a special topic, which was automobiles,” Welch said.  

She said their main goal was simply to make it into the top 20, so when they found out they had done it, emotions ran high for everyone involved. It was a moment where the team felt their hard work really paid off.  

Welch said Clinton County Middle School was the smallest school to make the top 20. Most of the other schools were from the Kansas City area, with Smithville and Clinton being the two smallest schools on the list.  

“You design an exhibit that would go into Science City and then Burns & McDonnell will judge over 710 teams who have entered this year,” Welch added.  

Welch said the first-place winner will actually get to design an exhibit for Science City in Kansas City. The project was completed by the school’s gifted program, which includes seventh and eighth graders, with four students in each grade.  

Seventh grader Edie Noll said the experience was unforgettable, especially realizing how much support they had from their school.  

“It was a really cool experience, no one could really believe that we got into top 20, and the group that came to support us there and encourage us were also really cool with lots of excitement,” Noll said.  

Noll said one of the biggest lessons she took away from the project was learning how to work as a team and collaborate with others.  

Eighth grader Levi Harris described the experience as shocking—in a good way—and said he even enjoyed getting to spend time with his mom during the school day.  

“When the entire school lined up, it was kind of nerve-wracking, but I had my friends to support me throughout the process,” Harris said.  

Harris said he hopes the team places first so they can see one of their exhibits displayed at Science City.  

“Probably learning to work together and just have good work ethic would be the number one takeaway from this experience,” Harris added.  

As part of the competition, a total of $157,500 in grants will be shared among the top 20 finalist schools to support STEM learning.  

One standout team will take home the grand prize, which includes a $50,000 grant and the chance to work alongside Burns & McDonnell Science City professionals to help develop a permanent exhibit. 

The grand prize winner will be announced on Wednesday, Feb. 4, at Union Station in Kansas City. 

More information about the top 20 finalist teams can be found at www.burnsmcd.com/news/2026-battle-of-brains-top-20