Two local high school boys formed a winning team at the Celebrating High School Innovator’s competition held on March 2 at Illinois State University, bringing home a $1,000 cash prize and scholarships. Matias Habib, 15, of Sandwich, and Kendrick Bakel, 16, of Yorkville, presented their start-up company TerraBuster and their formula for an organic Japanese Beetle spray. Around 100 students competed at the annual event. Teams first present their ideas one-on-one to eight different judges. The top 10 scoring teams then advance to a ‘shark tank’ style competition, delivering a 3-minute pitch on stage. The TerraBuster team stunned the audience by demonstrating the safety of their beetle pesticide – by spraying it in the mouth. “It’s that safe!” they proclaimed in unison. For more about the boys’ bio-pesticide business visit TerraBuster.com. For more on Celebrating High School Innovators visit chsinnovators.org.
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Two local high school students formed a winning team at the Celebrating High School Innovator’s competition March 2 at Illinois State University, bringing home a $1,000 cash prize and scholarships. Matias Habib, 15, of Sandwich and Kendrick Bakel, 16, of Yorkville presented their startup company, TerraBuster, and their formula for an organic Japanese Beetle spray. About 100 students competed at the annual event. Teams first present their ideas one-on-one to eight different judges. The top 10 scoring teams then advance to a "Shark Tank" style competition, delivering a 3-minute pitch on stage. The TerraBuster team stunned the audience by demonstrating the safety of their beetle pesticide – by spraying it in the mouth. “It’s that safe!” they said in unison. For information about the boys’ bio-pesticide business, visit TerraBuster.com. For information on Celebrating High School Innovators, visit chsinnovators.org. (Photo provided)