Russellville High School GATE/Honors students traveled Wednesday, March 15, to Western Kentucky University to the IdeaFestival.

IdeaFestival Bowling Green is an annual celebration of ideas. More specifically, it’s a one-day event held on WKU’s campus that features creative thinkers and ambitious innovators sharing their big ideas from the main stage.

After morning speaker sessions, participants dove in to hands-on activities designed to put new ideas into practice. Talks and activities covered a broad swath of topics: entrepreneurship, art, sustainability, community outreach, the maker movement, the STEM disciplines, and much more.

Inspired by the original IdeaFestival^® now held in Louisville, IdeaFestival Bowling Green brought together thinkers and doers from throughout the region to encourage curiosity, creativity, and connections. The theme for 2017’s IdeaFestival Bowling Green was, “Make nice with your ideas.” From innovators whose use of technology drives their nice creations to social entrepreneurs and whose fresh ideas make the world nicer for everyone, this year’s speakers inspired participants to make their own “niche” — and with over two hours to explore a dozen hands-on activities, festival-goers were able to get started making and doing right away.

The following RHS GATE/Honors students attended the IDEA FESTIVAL at WKU: Mateah Black- 12^th;Bryce Bollenbecker-11^th; Olivia Bollenbecker-9^th; Jayce Buchner-10^th; Maleah Buckner-10^th; Cecile Christie-9^th; Lyndsay Dodson-11^th; Ashlee Gilbert-11^th; Taryn Gray-10^th; Katie Ray Holloman-10^th; Brandon Johns – 11^th; Logan Long-11^th; Lena Luger-11^th; Emma McReynolds-11^th; Laura Mullen-10^th; Will Mullen-11^th; Elly Myers-10^th; Ethan Paul – 11^th; Katie Paul-11^th; Carleigh Phillips-11^th; Ashley Pitts-10^th; Gabriella Poirier-11^th; Dillon Porter-11^th; Fernanda Rodriquez-11^th; Madison Rose-12^th; Anna Shoulders-10^th; Robert Skipworth-9^th; Benjamin Slack-9^th;Spencer Statton-12^th; Keaundrea Stovall - 11^th; Morgan Todd-10^th; My Duyen Tran-9^th; Brandy West-9^th; Matthew Wilkerson-9^th; Phillip Wilkerson-Gatton; Kyran Williams-10^th; and Halle York-9th.

These students were under the supervision of Language Arts Teacher Bethanie Hargett-Slack and Gifted and Talented Educator Nancy Skipworth.