Whiz kids putting wind know-how to the test
Holy Trinity Middle School team heads to nationals in KidWind Challenge
Holy Trinity Middle School student Jared McCulloch (left) demonstrates the team’s wind turbine during the regional KidWind Challenge. The four-member team is heading to Houston to compete on the national level. / Courtesy photo
Holy Trinity Middle School KidWind team members (from left) Bradley Haun, Jared McCulloch, Nicholas McCloskey and Ben Steinbugl pose with the wind turbine they created. / Courtesy photo
The students take part in a KidWind elective class that is held twice a week as part of Holy Trinity Middle School’s science, technology, religion, engineering, art and math, or STREAM, program. / Courtesy photo
Holy Trinity Middle School student Jared McCulloch (left) demonstrates the team’s wind turbine during the regional KidWind Challenge. The four-member team is heading to Houston to compete on the national level. / Courtesy photo
Holy Trinity Middle School KidWind team members (from left) Bradley Haun, Jared McCulloch, Nicholas McCloskey and Ben Steinbugl pose with the wind turbine they created. / Courtesy photo
The students take part in a KidWind elective class that is held twice a week as part of Holy Trinity Middle School’s science, technology, religion, engineering, art and math, or STREAM, program. / Courtesy photo
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A four-student team from Holy Trinity Middle School in Altoona has qualified for the national KidWind Challenge in Houston, Texas, the week of May 20 after earning second place at the regional competition April 3 at Penn State University.
The national competition requires the students to design and build a functional wind turbine to demonstrate their knowledge of wind energy technology.
The Holy Trinity team is one of two middle school teams to represent Pennsylvania at the KidWind Project competition, where more than $3,000 in prizes will be awarded.
Along with testing their turbines against four different wind tunnels, the National KidWind teams will be judged on their responses to a short answer, multiple choice and essay examination on wind energy.
During the hands-on challenge portion, the students will be tasked to solve two wind energy problems given by the judges. Students must also share their knowledge and research in a 15-minute presentation in front of a panel of judges.
Students will also have the opportunity to visit the AWEA Windpower Conference, the largest tradeshow for the wind energy industry in the U.S., which is held at the George R. Brown Convention the same site as the competition.
The team is coached by teacher Linda Mueller and Deacon Don Gibboney and consists of sixth-graders Nicholas McCloskey and Ben Steinbugl, along with eighth-graders Jared McCulloch and Bradley Haun.
The students were part of the KidWind elective class held two days a week as part of the Holy Trinity science, technology, religion, engineering, art and math program, known as STREAM.
"We're very proud of the team. Their hard work has really paid off," said Mueller, noting that the team has reached the national competition in only its second year of participating. "It's such an honor for them. We're looking forward to a great experience and I know they'll do well."