Students to Participate In Junior Sprint Solar Challenge Workshop

To teach others how to reduce their carbon footprint, students in South Plantation High’s Solar/Alternative Energy class will host a Junior Solar Sprint Challenge in April. Middle school students will design and race model solar cars, with the winners of the regional competition moving on to the state competition at the Florida Solar Energy Centre in May. The first step in the competition will take place Friday, February 25, 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Culpepper Amphitheater at South Plantation High, 1300 SW 54th Avenue, Plantation.

A hands-on workshop will be held to show the middle school students how solar power works and how to prepare their cars. The high school students will teach mini sessions on understanding photovoltaic panels, connecting the panels to the motors, using a wind tunnel to see aerodynamics of design and working with gear ratios. Participating middle schools include Bair, Crystal Lakes, Falcon Cove, Gulfstream, Parkway and Pines.

The competition is a senior project required by the Environmental Science and Everglades Restoration Magnet program and is being organized by South Plantation seniors Courtney Frahm and Chelsey Dexter. Advanced Placement Environmental Science and Senior Research Teacher Allan Phipps is the instructor.