When you ask a junior in high school what they want to do when they grow up, odds are they are undecided. That may be true for other high school students, but not for Hewitt-Trussville junior Kaitlin Silverwood.

“I have always been interested in engineering as a career,” Silverwood said. “But being a part of the Engineering Academy makes me want to be an engineer that much more.”

Silverwood is in the Engineering Academy at Hewitt-Trussville, where she has the opportunity to work on projects and with tools she would use daily as an engineer. One of the main projects Silverwood and fellow students work on is an electric-powered vehicle to compete in Electrathon Alabama.

Electrathon from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.

“Building an electric vehicle is such great experience because you are able to test it throughout the year while you are working on it,” Silverwood said. “And then you see all of your hard work pay off at competitions like Electrathon.”

Silverwood and her all-female team were one of the 17 teams to compete in the fourth annual Electrathon Alabama Monday, April 6 at Barber Motorsports Park.

A record number of participating schools

Students from 13 schools in Alabama and Georgia made up the largest number of participants to date. The competition consisted of two hourlong races on a closed course, and the winning team was selected based on how many times the vehicle made it around the track. Only high school teams competed in the first race, with the second race showcasing college and professional teams.

“We were excited to be in second place going into the final race because what the other drivers and teams did in the first race was impressive” said Silverwood, who drove in the second race. “But going into the second race, we knew we needed to focus on the endurance of the car and battery to last the whole race.”

And it is safe to say Hewitt-Trussville’s hard work paid off: both teams placed in the top three, with the girl’s team taking top honors.

Robin White, market specialist at Alabama Power, was excited to see the Hewitt-Trussville Girls’ Team take the first place trophy.

“Both of the Hewitt-Trussville teams actually tied for third place in last year’s race,” White said. “It was great to see them come back this year and use what they learned from last year to win.”

Long-term benefits

White is one of the original supporters of Electrathon Alabama and believes in the value of the program investing in high school students while also teaching the benefits of clean, efficient electric transportation.

“This program provides students the opportunity to work on a team and learn valuable skills for a career they can depend on in the future,” White said.

Whether welding for a technical job or working with tools they’ll use daily as an engineer, White said students are better prepared for a career after they participate in Electrathon.

For the past four years, White has worked with Thompson High School engineering teacher and Skilled Knowledge Youth (SKY) founder Brian Copes to start and grow Electrathon Alabama. Like White, Copes believes in teaching students skills they can capitalize on in the future.

“There is a growing need for a high-tech workforce,” Copes said. “Our goal is to equip our students with what they need to create that, all while teaching them how to work on a team and help others.”

Copes said creating a skilled workforce will continue to help promote Alabama to manufacturers and global companies that are looking to open plants and businesses.

“If we continue to teach our kids how to think creatively, it will spur our state’s place in the global workforce,” Copes said.

Not only does Copes teach students these skills at Thompson, but he works to provide schools across the state electric car kits through his nonprofit SKY. Copes’ goal is to provide a car kit to every school in Alabama.

Alabama Power, Zoom Motorsports, SKY and Barber Motorsports Park sponsored the 2015 Electrathon.

Every day at school, Copes sees firsthand the growing interest students have in STEM.

“Right now at Thompson, we’re in the situation where more students are requesting to get into the programs than slots we have available,” Copes said. “And you know what? That’s a good problem to have.”

Here’s a complete list of schools that participated in Electrathon and the results:

High School Results

1st place: Hewitt-Trussville High School – Girls Team
2nd place: Decatur High School
3rd place: Hewitt-Trussville High School – Boys Team

Open Teams

1st place: Tiger Team
2nd place: University of Alabama at Birmingham

Teams

• Spanish Fort High School
• George Washington Carver High School
• Brewbaker Technology Magnet High School
• Saint Paul’s School – Team 1
• Saint Paul’s School – Team 2
• Chambers County Career Technical Center
• Sweet Water High School
• Walker County Center of Technology – Team 1
• Walker County Center of Technology – Team 2
• Thompson High School
• Calera High School
• Tiger Racing
• Tuscaloosa Career and Technology Center
• Decatur High School
• UAB
• Hewitt-Trussville High School – Boys Team
• Hewitt-Trussville High School – Girls Team

–Katie Kilcoyne