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+ Preparing for College and Beyond
The students are part of Coppell High School’s Pre-College program, EXCITE (EXploring sCIence, Technology, & Engineering). Through EXCITE, students participate in a curriculum that prepares them to enter into engineering fields in college. The curriculum is based around projects that teach students about engineering and how to apply math and science to solve problems. |
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+ Building on Success
In the first year, the team built their first car, Aurora. The goal for Aurora was to teach the students about the fundamentals of solar car racing. In 2010, the team took that knowledge and built a completely new Aurora. The focus for that vehicle was to create a car with better aerodynamics and more mechanical efficiency.
In 2011, the team ance again adjusted many mechanical aspects of the car to increase aerodynamics and to decrease its weight. On Saturday, July 16, the team went through scrutineering to ensure it was mechanically and electrically sound enough to race. |
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+ Building a Program
The 2008 team was composed of 11th grade students. The team began working on the car but was worried about the future of the program as well. They started thinking about their future in college and what they would they would leave behind at CHS. They realized that the work they were putting in and the lessons they were learning would have a hard time staying with the school after they graduated.
As the team worked on Aurora, they also began planning how they would create a more self-sustaining program. The goal was to create a program where the knowledge gained by team members would stay at Coppell High School and with Coppell Solar after the individual members graduated. In May of 2008, the team brought on a group of underclass students to join the Coppell Solar Racing Team. And thus began a JV team.
As the students grow in experience, they are passing that knowledge on to the younger students. Instead of separating themselves and isolating the teams, the students are working together to move the entire Coppell Solar Racing Team forward.
In the end, the result is a team built of 10th-12th grade students with enough experience to sustain the program even after the upperclassmen graduate. At the same time, new students will be able to join and learn from the new Varsity team. In other words, the Coppell Solar Racing Team is more than a race team, it is a program. |
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