VIEO Sponsors 2010 Junior Solar Sprint Spread Over Two Islands

St. Croix Source  ::  Source Staff

The fifteenth annual Junior Solar Sprint Competition is set to begin at 10 a.m. on Friday, March 19, at the Wendy’s Restaurant South parking lot in the Sunny Isle Shopping Center. In recent years, the V.I. Energy Office-sponsored event has been held on one island with all participating territorial schools attending, but this year, while the races will begin on St. Croix, the finals will be run at the Tutu Mall parking lot on St. Thomas on Friday, March 26. With the event growing, usually about 20 schools now participate with over 100 students in attendance along with teachers, the logistics of holding all the races on one day has become difficult. Only the top finishers in the St. Croix races will travel to St. Thomas.

The competition is a hands-on, educational experience that was developed for junior high school students to improve their knowledge of science, engineering and renewable energy concepts by constructing solar model cars. The students design and build cars from kits supplied by the Energy Office (VIEO), which is a division of the Office of the Governor. As the races demand full VIEO staff participation, their offices will be closed on St. Thomas and St. Croix on March 19 and March 26.

Bevan Smith Jr., director of VIEO, said, “The Junior Solar Sprint is always an exciting time for us at the Energy Office. We get the opportunity to see our youth educate their peers and the public in general on alternative fuel options like electric cars and the application of solar energy through photovoltaic panels.”

The St. Croix schools include: St. Patrick’s, Arthur A. Richards Jr. High, Good Hope School, Church of God Academy, Country Day School, Elena Christian Jr. High, School of the Good Shepherd, John H. Woodson Jr. High, The Manor School, St. Mary’s, IQRA Educational Center Inc. and Kingshill School.

  The St. Thomas schools include: Antilles School, Bertha C. Bosculute Junior High, St. Peter and Paul, All Saints School, Addelita Cancryn Junior High, Montessori School, Moravian School and Church of God Academy.

The St. John schools participating are the Julius Sprauve School and the Gifft Hill School.