HOLLY SPRINGS, N.C. — A group of sixth grade students here won the top award in a national contest after developing a flashing sign to improve school bus stop safety.

As SBFpreviously reported, the team of sixth graders from Holly Grove Middle School were recognized as one of 50 state finalists for Samsung’s “Solve for Tomorrow,” a national contest designed to help students create change in their local communities by using skills in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

The students had developed a flashing sign with LED lights to alert students, bus drivers, and motorists when a school bus is within 300 feet of the bus stop.

On Tuesday, the students were named one of the three national winners of the contest after presenting their flashing sign to a panel of judges at the National Finalist Pitch event at the Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum in New York City, according to a news release from Samsung Electronics America. The Holly Grove students earned $100,000 in technology for their school, and also won an additional $10,000 after being named the Community Choice winner for the contest where the public voted for their favorite project among the 10 national finalists.

“This year’s national winners were truly impressive not only because of the passion and curiosity they have for solving critical community issues, but also because each school’s innovation represents a tangible solution capable of achieving measurable community impact,” said Ann Woo, senior director of corporate citizenship for Samsung Electronics America, in the news release. “We at Samsung are committed to elevating STEM learning because year after year, with the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow contest, we witness how it inspires students to explore their future potential as engineers, designers, mathematicians, software developers, and more.”

The Holly Grove students are currently working with city officials to install “smart” stop signs at areas where there have been high numbers of reported stop-arm violations, according to Samsung.