Middle school kids design solar cars for the Junior Solar Spring

Print Story | Email Story
There was not a cloud in the sky as the sun smiled on the Junior Solar Sprint last Saturday at Reid Middle School in Pittsfield. Students from middle schools in Adams, North Adams, Pittsfield, Lenox, and Great Barrington met in the tennis court with their miniature solar-powered cars, racing each other in speed, innovation, craftsmanship and technical merit. “Many of the students have been building the cars as part of their school curriculum in science or technology,” said coordinator Nancy Nylen of the Center for Ecological Technology (CET). “So we feel that by building these models they’ll be looking for alternative transportation for the future — either zero or lower emissions.” Each car can be two feet long at most, using assorted materials such as plastic, Styrofoam, balsa wood, a solar panel, gears, and a “cargo” of a soda can. Volunteers set up the speed track of three lanes stretching 60 feet, as sponsors from Berkshire Gas Company, Pittsfield Generating Company, and Verizon readied to judge the other contests. As the students and parents gathered and tinkered on the practice track, Nylen welcomed them and Charlie Browne of CET called out the first speed contestants. “Number 19 — Viper!” Mitch Beauchemin, Lucas Markland, and Billy Straub from Adams lined up their car, painted red with large front tires and an adjustable solar panel. They said it took a couple of weeks to design and build, continuing from last year where they got a trophy for technical merit. “It makes you feel neat building something from scratch and watching it run,” said Beauchemin. Viper won the first speed heat and came in second or third in all categories. Other cars came in many shapes, sizes, and colors, one carrying the American flag, and another shaped like a school bus that won the award for craftsmanship. Ryan O’Hearn, also from Adams, said he won for craftsmanship last year as well. But it wasn’t so fast. “Last year I had a really big car, but it was full of balsa wood, so it didn’t go very far,” he said. So this year he found another material that was yellow, and he thought it might look good as a school bus. In other contests, Mac Henry, Colin Mizia, Kevin McDaniel and Sergey Kalachev of Lenox wowed the audience with the speedy “Rip N Rage 2”; Shane Burdick of Herberg Middle School in Pittsfield won for innovation, and Evan Stangl and Will Pinkerson of Great Barrington won for technical merit with “Matrix.” The top three in each category are eligible for the regional championship in Springfield, organized by Northeast Sustainable Energy Association. Hybrid Cars Nylen also invited auto dealers Beddard Brothers of Cheshire and Haddad Motors of Pittsfield to show their hybrid cars, the new Honda Civic Hybrid and Toyota Prius. The cars run on both electricity and gasoline for lower emissions and greater gas mileage, roughly 48 miles per gallon, with a suggested price of $20,550 and $20,956 respectively. “I’ve had so many positive comments when I’ve stopped somewhere,” said Nylen about the Toyota Prius she purchased on the Internet a couple years ago. Only recently has the Japan-based vehicle arrived commercially in the United States. Roger Hanley, sales representative of Haddad, said that most people remember electricity experiments where you have to plug the car in, or drive differently, but that’s not the case with the hybrid variety. “The manufacturers want it as close to not knowing that your car is a hybrid as possible,” he said. “People don’t want to be doing something out of the ordinary while driving.” There are differences, however. If the car is stopped at a light for more than a minute, for instance, the engine shuts off to conserve energy. “People aren’t used to the idea of having the engine shut off,” he said. “It’s actually more disturbing to people outside the car,” he added, if they aren’t aware of hybrids. Hanley emphasized that the hybrid components require less maintenance because there are fewer moving parts, without the wear and tear of more explosive combustion. “[The hybrid] is running in a more natural way,” he contended, “without extreme heat or high pressure. Gasoline [power] is essentially a contained explosion.”
Share
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

McCann Recognizes Superintendent Award Recipient

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff

Landon LeClair and Superintendent James Brosnan with Landon's parents Eric and Susan LeClair, who is a teacher at McCann. 
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Superintendent's Award has been presented to Landon LeClair, a senior in McCann Technical School's advanced manufacturing course. 
 
The presentation was made last Thursday by Superintendent Jame Brosnan after Principal Justin Kratz read from teachers' letters extolling LeClair's school work, leadership and dedication. 
 
"He's become somewhat legendary at the Fall State Leadership Conference for trying to be a leader at his dinner table, getting an entire plate of cookies for him and all his friends," read Kratz to chuckles from the School Committee. "Landon was always a dedicated student and a quiet leader who cared about mastering the content."
 
LeClair was also recognized for his participation on the school's golf team and for mentoring younger teammates. 
 
"Landon jumped in tutoring the student so thoroughly that the freshman was able to demonstrate proficiency on an assessment despite the missed class time for golf matches," read Kratz.
 
The principal noted that the school also received feedback from LeClair's co-op employer, who rated him with all fours.
 
"This week, we sent Landon to our other machine shop to help load and run parts in the CNC mill," his employer wrote to the school. LeClair was so competent the supervisor advised the central shop might not get him back. 
 
View Full Story

More North Adams Stories

Schools
image description

New McCann Recognizes Superintendent Award Recipient

Schools
Community News
image description

Companion Corner: Weber at No Paws Left Behind

Community News
Business
image description

Friday Front Porch Feature: A Charming House Like New

Business
Business
image description

North Adams Jewelry Store Has New Owner

Business
Community News
image description

North Adams Water Safe to Drink

Community News
Community News
image description

North Adams Lifts Boil Water Order for Most of City

Community News
Latest Stories
Previous Next

What's Trending?