East Senior a Finalist in Intel Science Talent Search

A senior at was named as , and on Tuesday she became a finalist.

Superintendent Edward Ehmann announced at the Board of Education meeting Tuesday that Rachel Michelle Davis, 17, of St. James, received a phone call prior to the meeting telling her she is one of the 40 semifinalists selected to move on in the search. 

Davis was one of 1,839 high school seniors throughout the country that entered the competition, which was then narrowed down to a field of 300 semifinalists, and now just 40 students remain.

Davis will head to Washington, D.C. from March 8-13 to compete for more than $630,000 in awards provided by the Intel Foundation. She was chosen for her project, "Engineering Biodegradable Flame Retardant Polymer."