HUNTSVILLE – A team of Mill Creek Elementary fourth- and fifth-graders “started their engines” and won the Goblin division National Championship of Greenpower Racing.
The fourth-graders are “Speedy” Savannah Barnard, Tyler “the Tank” Barnard, “Highway” Harrison Bock, Austin “Bandit” Brown, Peter “Go,Go,Go” Gosier, “Juking” Jaiden Lawrence, and “Jumpin’” Jack Nivens.
The fifth-graders are Clark “Coo Coo” Asher, Eli “Fireball” Brown, “Swifty” Sophia Brown, “Dinger” Devansh Goyal, Lillian “Leadfoot” McFadden, “Big E” Evelyn Mustell, and Julius “Wheelie” Whitehorn.
Clocking in at whopping speeds of up to 18 mph, the team raced three Greenpower electric cars – one finished No. 1 in the country and two were in the top 10.
The Greenpower electric cars run off two 12-volt lead-acid batteries and they “start their engines” by a pulley on an axel. The smaller the pulley, the faster they go.
The team was led by their coach, National Board Certified Greenpower-trained teacher, Jacqueline Smith, a fifth-grade Science, technology, engineering, and math teacher at Mill Creek.
Former Huntsville City Schools Superintendent Casey Wardinski approached math teacher Drew Sparks about starting a middle school Greenpower Racing team in North Alabama back in 2014.
Now executive director of Greenpower USA, founded and headquartered in Huntsville and servicing Greenpower Racing across North Alabama, Sparks said, “Honestly, I had no idea what he was talking about but, once I got involved, if they had had this program when I was in school, I probably never would have gone into education but pursued something in this line of work.
“Parents tell us all the time they are so grateful for this team and the competition.”
The Greenpower electric car program is a way for kids to learn to design, build and race electric cars in the USA. It also teaches students critical thinking, effective communication and the basics of driving safety, repair and green power.
The team competed in four competitions this year: the Choccolocco Park Green Prix, the Huntsville Cup, the Trojan 30’s Race; and the Greenpower Splash.
“Ms. Smith is the keeper of everything,” Sparks said. “This is her winning team and the job she does is just phenomenal.”
The Mill Creek Elementary team won 17 events this season. After the last race of the season, the team with the most points won the national championship and that was Mill Creek.
The school has competed for six years but has never finished in first or second place until this year.
The competition consists of four scoring categories.
“In the fourth- to sixth-grade age group (the Goblin league) the competition starts with a Powerpoint or Google Slides presentation,” said Sparks. “This gives the kids experience in oral presentation and public speaking skills.
“Then there are three racing events. In the drag race, we drop the flag, and they go straight to the finish line and whoever crosses the line wins, but they do it multiple times. We take the best score from those races.
“Then there is the slalom where they weave the cars in and out in a zigzag between traffic cones to the finish line. That is my favorite because it can get so chaotic,” Spark laughs. “Again, we take the best score of those races.
“Then the final race is a circuit race around an oval 1/8th mile track.”
Smith attributes the team’s success to camaraderie and dedication.
“These students have worked so well together since the fall,” she said. “They come to practice ready to go, listen to each other’s feedback and have cheered each other along the entire season.
“This incredible group of students and their supportive families have made this season one to remember. It’s been fun watching the students grow in their confidence and skills since day one.”
The schools in the top 10 nationally were from Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and Texas.
There are more than 600 Greenpower teams nationwide in 25 states. At the elementary school level, there were more than 100 teams with another 110 middle and high schools competing. There are more than 600 Greenpower cars on the circuit.
“Going fast is not the end game,” Sparks said. “The races are an hour and a half, so it is more about endurance and making that 90 minutes last.”
Parents often ask Sparks about safety, of course.
“Students wear a harness and crash helmets, and the cars are extremely safe,” Sparks said. “They go through safety inspections before every event and they sit so low to the ground, they cannot flip over except by someone intentionally doing so.”
So, what if they crash into something?
“If they bump into each other or hit a barrier, they just bounce back similar to bumper cars,” Sparks said. “That is all part of the learning process.”
In fact, from looking at the cars, they all look like there has been a lot of running into things! But it’s all for education!
Watch the Greenpower Racing Team put on a demonstration for 256 Today:
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