At the 2024 Invention Convention held in Michigan from June 5 to June 7, students from Southwest Florida showcased their innovative talents, with notable achievements from the Lee County school district. Among the standout participants, Nashinee Fernando from Dunbar High School earned a third-place award for her project titled \"Baby Beats.\" Additionally, Daruva Sharma from Fort Myers High School received multiple accolades, including a third-place award, an industry award, and a patent application award for his project \"Transcend Traffic Urban Transportation Revolution.\"

Daruva Sharma also distinguished himself by winning another national STEM competition and was one of only three students from Florida to represent the state at the National STEM Festival in Washington, D.C., this past April. The Lee County school board and superintendent expressed their pride in recognizing both Nashinee Fernando and Daruva Sharma for their exceptional STEM accomplishments and thanked them for their representation of the district.

Furthermore, the 69th Annual State Science and Engineering Fair of Florida took place in Lakeland from April 2 to April 4, 2024, where students from Paul Lawrence Dunbar Middle School also excelled. Alyssa Liu and Andra Sarah received second-place category awards for their project titled \"Green Hydrogen.\" The school board and superintendent congratulated them for their outstanding achievements and for representing Lee County well at the state level.