Southwood High School in Shreveport, home to Southwood Biotech Academy magnet program, won third place overall in the high school division of the Region I Science Fair sponsored by Bossier Parish Community College at the Bossier Civic Center.

Biotech Academy was formed in 2006 by BRF, Southwood High School, Caddo Parish schools, LSU Health Shreveport, LSU Shreveport and participating biotech companies to expose students as freshmen to a rigorous curriculum in biotechnology.

The program was formed to promote an educated workforce skilled in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) discipline, necessary for maintaining and attracting new industry to Northwest Louisiana.

Since the program’s inception, Southwood High School has moved to a B ranking, up from a D, within the Caddo school system.

Students Raven Bowman, Anaya Cooley, Tatjana Cotton, Kayte Duhon, Anna Gregory, Hailey Mathews, Grayson Roberts and Anthony Preston were among the top winners from Biotech Academy and Southwood.

Preston won first place In Behavioral Science and Roberts took second in this category. Mathews won a second place in Translational Medicine, with Gregory taking third in Cellular and Molecular Biology and Duhon won third in Biomedical Health and Medicine.

Preston was presented with a first-place award for his research from the Women’s and Children’s Mental Health Organization.

Bowman and Duhon were presented awards from the American Chemical Society and Tatjana Cotton and Cooley won awards from the Optimist Club.

Preston, Roberts and Mathews participated in the State Science Fair in Baton Rouge. Mathews took fourth place in Translational Medicine at state.