City Year Columbia to Host Inaugural Famously Hot Junior Solar Sprint Race
March 9, 2015
First Annual Solar Car Competition for students in grades 3rd-12th, racing at the Home & Garden Show at the State Fairgrounds on March 14th
COLUMBIA, SC – City Year Columbia, an education-focused organization that unites young adults for a year of service in high-need urban public schools, will be hosting the inaugural Famously Hot Junior Solar Sprint Race of the Carolinas on Saturday, March 14th from 1pm-3pm at the Home and Garden Show at the State Fairgrounds.
Junior Solar Sprint (JSS) is a solar car competition that challenges students to design, build, and race solar electric vehicles using hands-on engineering skills and principles of science and math. At City Year Columbia’s race, students in grades 3rd-12th will be able to build and race their own solar powered cars in competition. Because this inaugural race is not yet affiliated with the TSA, the race is open to these age ranges as well as all styles of solar-powered cars, with teams being able to compete in one of two categories: JSS-Specific Cars and JSS-Modified Cars. Schools, organizations, and programs from across the state are utilizing the JSS Race as an opportunity to engage their students in STEM instruction, as students get the chance to learn about and interact with alternative energy sources.
City Year Columbia is proud to be hosting the first annual race, and excited to see what innovations it brings to South Carolina STEM initiatives. City Year Columbia Executive Director, Dr. Gail Wilson-Giarratano, said, “Supporting students to achieve mathematical proficiency is a central component of City Year’s approach to ending the dropout crisis. This event is a result of the success of City Year’s Whole School Whole Child model and the STEM skill-building initiative at Heyward Gibbes Middle School. At City Year, we seek to boost every student’s ability to achieve in STEM concepts and give these students the chance to flourish in school and in life.”
The Home & Garden Show is an ideal showcase of the hard work of the students, as it already has an outstanding variety of offerings over the course of the weekend. “The Home & Garden Show is not only a showplace for building industry professionals to meet the public, it’s also a natural platform for the Building Industry Association to work with community groups like City Year and help enrich our community,” said Edwin Gerace, Chairman of the 2015 Home & Garden Show. “While solar cars may not seem in line with a home show, the skills these students are demonstrating are necessary in many areas of our industry.”
This year, 24 City Year Columbia AmeriCorps members serve in South Carolina public schools to provide support to students who face the greatest risk of dropping out. Working side-by-side with teachers, corps members use research-based tools to improve students’ attendance, behavior and course performance in math and English. Corps members also lead afterschool programs and school-wide initiatives to improve school culture. With the generous support of Boeing of South Carolina, City Year Columbia runs a STEM demonstration site at our afterschool program at Heyward Gibbes Middle School in Richland School District One. The culmination of this STEM curriculum is the Famously Hot Junior Solar Sprint Race, with our students competing alongside other school and organization teams on March 14th.
In addition to the support from Boeing of South Carolina, City Year Columbia’s inaugural Famously Hot Junior Solar Sprint Race also receives critical local sponsorship from our community partners: the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice, the SC Energy Office, the City of Columbia, the SC Afterschool Alliance, and the Home & Garden Show.
For more information on the Race, please visit www.cityyear.org/columbia/famously-hot-junior-solar-sprint-race
To purchase tickets to the Home & Garden Show and gain entry to the Race, please visit http://www.scstatefair.org/events/2015/home–garden-show
To donate to City Year Columbia and help support our work in South Carolina Schools, please visit www.cityyear.org/columbia/support-us
WHAT: City Year Columbia to host inaugural Famously Hot Junior Solar Sprint Race
WHEN: March 14, 2015 at 1:00pm
WHERE: South Carolina State Fairgrounds 1200 Rosewood Dr, Columbia, SC 29201
About City Year
City Year is an education-focused organization founded in 1988 dedicated to helping students and schools succeed. City Year partners with public schools in 26 urban, high-poverty communities across the U.S. and through international affiliates in the U.K. and Johannesburg, South Africa. Diverse teams of City Year AmeriCorps members provide high-impact student, classroom and school-wide support, to help students stay in school and on track to graduate from high school, ready for college and career success. A proud member of the AmeriCorps national service network, City Year is made possible by support from the Corporation for National and Community Service, school district partnerships, and private philanthropy from corporations, foundations and individuals. Learn more at www.cityyear.org.
