A team from Wilmington’s Cab Calloway School of the Arts won the annual Junior Solar Sprint competition held at Delaware State University. Left to right above, three members of the Cab Calloway team celebrate the school’s second straight Junior Solar Sprint Championship: Ashvin Sharma, Chetan Kasukurthi and Viraj Mehta. /DNREC photo

Middle School Students Build, Race Solar Vehicles

Cab Calloway School of the Arts from Wilmington accumulated the most points in combined design, portfolio and race competitions to earn first place in the 2024 Junior Solar Sprint held today on the campus of Delaware State University. Holy Cross School of Dover came second in the competitions, while Sussex Montessori School of Seaford was third.

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) teams up with the Delaware Technology Student Association (TSA) for the event each year. Students in grades 5 through 8 work with classmates and teacher advisors over several months to build model cars powered by solar photovoltaic cells, better known as solar panels.

“We are proud to partner with the TSA to promote Science, Technology, Engineering and Math through the annual Junior Solar Sprint,” said DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin. “Expectations are high for the competitors each year, and students once again rose to the occasion in their creativity, teamwork and head-to-head race competition.”

Dayna Cobb, Director of DNREC’s Division of Climate, Coastal and Energy, said the annual Junior Solar Sprint is an event the Division looks forward to hosting each year. “Climate change is pushing the state, nation and world to find solutions by developing clean energy technologies to reduce carbon emissions in the atmosphere,” she said. “The Junior Solar Sprint demonstrates how, by working together, we can achieve positive results in tackling the environmental challenges we face today, and which we will continue to face in the future.”

Students received points for project portfolios, overall design and fastest speed in a timed competition. The team accumulating the most points wins. TSA-affiliated teams also can earn the opportunity to represent Delaware against other students from around the country in the national TSA conference, which is being held in Orlando, Florida in June.

Teams from five Delaware schools participated in the 2024 competition, including Las Americas ASPIRA Academy, Newark; Cab Calloway School of the Arts; Holy Cross School; May B. Leasure Elementary School, Newark; and Sussex Montessori School.

Competition results:

The all-around winners for combined speed, design and portfolio presentations were:

• 1^st place: Team #2, Chetan Kasukurthi, Vedic Mukherjee, Viraj Mehta and Ashvin Sharma from Cab Calloway School of the Arts;
• 2^nd place: Team #10, Kehllan Thomas, Luke Curley, Gavin Reed and Sam Shevok from Holy Cross School
• 3^rd place: Team #7, Brayden Nichols, Joellen Reinke and Liam Cannon from Sussex Montessori School

Top results from the double elimination races were:

• 1^st place: Team #7, Brayden Nichols, Joellen Reinke and Liam Cannon from Sussex Montessori School
• 2^nd place: Team #2, Chetan Kasukurthi, Vedic Mukherjee, Viraj Mehta and Ashvin Sharma from Cab Calloway School of the Arts
• 3^rd place: Team #10, Kehllan Thomas, Luke Curley, Gavin Reed and Sam Shevok from Holy Cross School

Top results from the design competition were:

• 1^st place, Team #8, Cadence Wahl and Keira Clarke from Las Americas ASPIRA Academy;
• 2^nd place, Team #10, Kehllan Thomas, Luke Curley, Gavin Reed and Sam Shevok from Holy Cross School;
• 3^rd place, Team #6, Rhys Scott, Portia Jalloh, Nypha Gatimu and Sakari Watson from May B. Leasure Elementary School.

Top results from the portfolio competition were:

• 1^st place: Team #2, Chetan Kasukurthi, Vedic Mukherjee, Viraj Mehta and Ashvin Sharma from Cab Calloway School of the Arts;
• 2^nd place: Team #6, Rhys Scott, Portia Jalloh, Nypha Gatimu and Sakari Watson from May B. Leasure Elementary School;
• 3^rd. place: Team #8, Cadence Wahl and Keira Clarke from Las Americas ASPIRA Academy.

Visit de.gov/solarsprint for more information on the Junior Solar Sprint.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Climate, Coastal and Energy uses science, education, policy development and incentives to address Delaware’s climate, energy and coastal challenges. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter) or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Jim Lee, JamesW.Lee@delaware.gov; Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov

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