Since he was 4 years old, La Jolla Country Day School seventh-grader Oliver Cottrell loved practicing hockey and watching Pittsburgh Penguins games with his father in his free time. The only problem? His practices didn’t always align with his friends’ schedules.

Oliver developed a solution in the form of an automated hockey puck passer as part of Country Day’s after-school program and competed in the Greater San Diego Science & Engineering Fair. In the past year, his creation garnered him local recognition and a spot in a national competition.

The machine, fueled by Python programming and Raspberry Pi, a single-board computer, captures several photos of the player and recognizes a ball sensor on the player’s helmet. Once the target is identified, the wheels start spinning, shooting pucks toward the player.

Oliver settled on his idea in September 2023, ahead of the January deadline for the 2024 San Diego science fair.

At that event last March, Oliver, a sixth-grader at the time, won the Grand Award in physical sciences. Not long after, he finished second in the California Science and Engineering Fair.

From there, he got national recognition as one of 30 finalists invited to the Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge in October in Washington, D.C. The finalists were selected from among nearly 2,000 applicants, with award winners chosen by a panel of scientists, engineers and educators.

Oliver said he loved his experience in the nation’s capital, where his invention won first place and $3,500 in the engineering category.

Over the week-long competition, Oliver met students from across the nation who shared his love for science and engineering and participated in group activities.

His busy schedule required a strong school/life balance. While that presented a challenge at first, Oliver eventually found a groove.

“After I got the hang of it, it sort of became easy to do,” he said. “So I could find different timeframes on when I can work on the science fair and when I could work on schoolwork.”

Oliver’s father, David, saw his son’s project grow as he spent nights and weekends working out the details.

“I was really proud of the amount of work he put in, because it was pretty much every day,” David Cottrell said. “[Oliver] said along the way something like ‘I feel like I have a job.’ Because it was something you have to do over time.”

Oliver’s base for his work was La Jolla Country Day, and the after-school program he attended was launched two years ago by Matt Bessler, who teaches sixth-grade physics.

With support from faculty adviser Noa Parker, Oliver went through the process of developing his invention.

Parker, who teaches seventh-grade life science and eighth-grade chemistry, said entering a competition goes far beyond simply generating an idea.

“There’s prep work … and if you’re doing an engineering project, there’s actually creating the device,” Parker said. “But after that you have to be able to express and explain the entire process and the outcomes, results and what you would have done differently multiple times during the competition.

“It’s really cool to see, especially Oliver — who was just a sixth-grader last year — now really be able to express what he did, and his networking and conversation skills have enhanced so much.”

Last year, 10 students enrolled in the after-school program were recognized in the greater San Diego competition. Their projects included testing electrolytes in different drinks, identifying ingredients in sunscreen and designing solar panels that rotate to capture the most energy.

Bessler said the faculty’s role in the program is to guide students in the right direction but leave room for their creativity to take over. After all, he added, every branch of science was on the table.

“It’s a lot of molding and helping,” Bessler said. “We won’t come up with ideas for them, so they have to bring something to us, and from that, we’ll help them brainstorm and … mold it into an actual project that will work. But it’s up to them to come with something we can work with.”

Oliver said the help with time management and organization paid off as the project pushed into its final stages.

His puck passer underwent several changes along the way. He scrapped an idea to give it an arm, and in the interest of time, he decided to keep it stationary.

Jeff Terwin, Country Day’s head of school, praised Oliver’s invention and how he represented the school in the competitions.

“Oliver truly represents what makes La Jolla Country Day School a special place,” Terwin said. “His curiosity, hard work and connections with his teachers are amazing. We couldn’t be prouder of his accomplishments — and even more of the great person he is and all he brings to our community.”

While Oliver celebrates the success of his hockey puck passer, his attention now is directed toward the next Greater San Diego Science & Engineering Fair. With the Jan. 20 deadline quickly approaching, he said he’s “close to the finish line” on a new project — a robot tutor.

The robot tutor uses a newer version of the Raspberry Pi computer, as well as speakers and cameras. The robot takes a picture of homework but doesn’t just dish out answers. Instead, it offers tips and tricks to enhance the learning experience.

To learn more about this year’s San Diego science fair and last year’s winners, visit gsdsef.org. ♦

Two of the top boys basketball scorers in the county hooked up Friday night.

Carlsbad High School senior Jake Hall again proved why he ‘s chasing 3,000 career points.

Francis Parker sophomore Tavid Johnson showed why he already has more than 1,100 career points.

Playing in Francis Parker’s sparkling new Vassiliadis Athletic Center, No. 2-ranked Carlsbad, the San Diego Section Open Division champions, proved to be too deep and too experienced for sophomore-dominated Parker, pulling away just before halftime and rolling to a 75-63 nonleague win.

Hall, last year’s CIF Player of the Year, averages 29.9 points per game. He finished Friday’s tilt with 28 points as Parker bumped and grinded on him all game.

“Nothing new,” Hall said. “I’ve seen every kind of defense. Honestly, we didn’t play well, but it’s a win, and we’ll take it.”

Hall’s career point total now stands at 2,610 with as many as 20 games remaining.

Jett Kenady scored 14 points. He came out late for football after playing for the Lancers’ stellear football team.

“I’ve played enough now that I have my basketball legs,” Kenady said.

Johnson, who came into the game averaging 27.7, finished with a game-high 32 points — 20 coming in the second half.

Carlsbad (13-2) led by 20 early in the fourth quarter, but Parker (11-7) rallied and cut the deficit to eight with 1:06 to play. But a basket by Trenton Mehl, who finished with 16 points, and a pair of free throws by Jordan Garner put the game away.

“We’re a young, scrappy team,” Biddle said. “And one of our best kids (junior) Ezekiel Walker) is hurt and out for the year. We like to play up. Like to test ourselves. …  We’ve already played the No. 1 team in the state (Eastvale Roosevelt) and No. 3 Bellflower St. John Bosco. So this was another good test.”

Carlsbad, ranked No. 25 in the state, got a test from Parker.

“We expected a tough game and got one,” Carlsbad coach Clark Allard said. “League (play) is right around the corner, so games like this, playing on the road, can only help. Playing a tough preleague schedule worked last year. I’m hoping the same formula works again.”

Johnson finished with a game-high 11 rebounds in addition to his 32 points. Amon Andrews backed him with 10 points.

Garner led Carlsbad with nine rebounds.

Originally Published: January 10, 2025 at 8:03 PM PST

Macy’s revealed the locations of 66 stores, including nine in California that will be closing as part of the department store chain’s Bold New Chapter strategy. Two are in San Diego County.

The plan to close approximately 150 stores over a three-year period was announced last year but Macy’s hadn’t announced any of the locations until now.

“Closing any store is never easy, but as part of our Bold New Chapter strategy, we are closing underproductive Macy’s stores to allow us to focus our resources and prioritize investments in our go-forward stores, where customers are already responding positively to better product offerings and elevated service,” said Tony Spring, chairman and chief executive officer of Macy’s, Inc.

Here’s a list of locations Macy’s plans on closing in California:

• 750 W. 7th St. in The Bloc (Los Angeles)
• 2838 S. El Camino Real (San Mateo)
• 6000 Sunrise Mall (Citrus Heights)
• 300 Westminster Mall (Westminster)
• 200 Newpark Mall (Newark)
• 1555 Camino De La Reina (San Diego)
• 2015 Birch Rd. Suite 2 in Otay Ranch Town Center (Chula Vista)
• 1400 Redwood Highway in Village at Corte Madera (Corta Madera)
• 414 K St. in Downtown Plaza (Sacramento)

Closures have also been announced in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Washington. A complete list of the 66 stores can be found here.

Macy’s stated there are 350 “go-forward” stores they will continue to invest in.