WALTHAM, Mass., May 24, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Ohio 5th-grader Jonathon Crawford's clever way to alleviate long lunch lines garnered first place in the Raytheon (NYSE: RTN) MathMovesU^® "Build it Better" contest. The New Madison Tri-Village Elementary School student received more than 4,500 votes from the MathMovesU^® Facebook community for demonstrating problem-solving prowess to re-engineer the school's lunch line with an Apple^® iPad^® tablet app.

The contest challenged K-12 students to redesign any aspect of their school life – big or small – and describe how it could be engineered for a better school experience. Out of 10 finalists, three projects were picked by popular vote, and students from Ohio, New Jersey and Massachusetts took home classroom grants of $2,000, $1,000 and $500, respectively, for their schools.

Three high-school students from New Jersey – Lanre Danmola, Jordan Donald and Charlie Dowd of Maplewood's Columbia High School – took second place with a time-saving device for their teachers: a "one-swipe whiteboard eraser." A bike rack designed by student Liam Walsh to provide better protection from the elements for students at Needham High School in Massachusetts took third place.

Launched during National Engineers Week in February, the "Build it Better" contest was sponsored by Raytheon's MathMovesU initiative, as part of its broader mission to engage students in science, technology, engineering and math subjects through hands-on activities, educational outreach, and social interaction. The contest is one of six MathMovesU scholarship and grant programs open to teachers and students. For more information about MathMovesU scholarship and grant programs, please visit www.mathmovesu.com.

More About MathMovesU
Raytheon's MathMovesU^® program is an initiative committed to increasing middle and elementary school students' interest in math and science education by engaging them in hands-on, interactive activities. The innovative programs of MathMovesU include the traveling interactive experience MathAlive!™; Raytheon's Sum of all Thrills™ experience at INNOVENTIONS at Epcot^®, which showcases math in action as students design and experience their own thrill ride using math fundamentals; the "In the Numbers" game, a partnership with the New England Patriots on display at The Hall at Patriot Place presented by Raytheon; the company's ongoing sponsorship of the MATHCOUNTS^® National Competition; and the MathMovesU scholarship and grant program. Follow MathMovesU and other Raytheon community outreach programs on Facebook and on Twitter @MathMovesU.

About Raytheon
Raytheon Company, with 2012 sales of $24 billion and 68,000 employees worldwide, is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, security and civil markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning 91 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration and other capabilities in the areas of sensing; effects; and command, control, communications and intelligence systems; as well as a broad range of mission support services. Raytheon is headquartered in Waltham, Mass. For more about Raytheon, visit us at www.raytheon.com and follow us on Twitter @raytheon.

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SOURCE Raytheon Company