The roar of the engine, the squealing of tires, the smell of burnt rubber. American Graffiti, Grease and Disney/Pixar's Cars have personified the hotrod muscle car into an iconic status that drives deep in the veins of Americana. These veins run black with crude as the desire for large, fast cars continues to feed America's oil addiction. Every high school student wants to drive a cool car when they get their driver's license. Most do not consider Peak Oil, gas mileage, or the rising cost of gasoline when choosing their ideal ride. The Solar Knight program at South Plantation High School provides a context for students to roll up their sleeves, get their hands dirty, and build their own "green hotrod"; a sleek, sexy, speedy solar-powered car. While the sounds and smells of a gasoline engine may be lacking, the instantaneous torque that throws you back in your seat is enough to get any high school student fired up about solar car racing.

We are on the cusp of an energy revolution! I have told my students the following story: "When a horse-drawn wagon approached a particularly steep hill, the driver said to his passengers, 'Them that's going with us, get out and push. Them that ain't, get out of the way.'" Today's society has been content with riding the oil bandwagon and has been extremely slow to make change. The U.S. lags behind the rest of the developed world when it comes to embracing the need for alternative energy research. Some would argue that our leaders have gotten in the way of alternative energy progress. We are beginning up a steep slope filled with tough decisions as we make the difficult transition to reduce fossil fuel dependence. It is today's youth that must "get out and push" if we are to keep up with the rest of the world. Our solar car and alternative energies program is one example of how I encourage students to get out of the wagon and take those initial steps to get involved in environmental inquiry. Environmental project-based learning provides students the opportunity to educate our community about local environmental problems and also showcase student-derived solutions that provide a glimmer of hope both for public education and the fate of our environment.

The Solar Knight Racing Team built a 2-seater solar-powered car capable of 45mph and successfully completed the Dell-Winston School Solar Car Challenge, a cross-country race during the summer of 2007 from Round Rock, Texas to Newburgh, New York. This car, dubbed the Solar Knight, was designed and constructed from the ground up by a group of high school students dedicated to alternative energy research. We are the only high school solar car team in the entire Sunshine State!

Since our successful completion of the 2007 cross-country race, I have created a Solar & Alternative Energies class. This is a project-based class where students build model solar cars and boats, solar ovens, solar distillers, solar inventions, and more. We just finished an electric go-kart and are beginning to build a solar trimeran kayak and a Geo-Metro electric car conversion. The keystone project, around which this class functions, is Solar Knight Racing. We are in the process of building the Solar Knight II, a lighter, more aerodynamic, more efficient solar car. Each student is responsible for a different aspect of car design, construction, racing, and community outreach.

My students must draw upon lessons learned in algebra, geometry, marketing and accounting, physics, chemistry (to understand how solar panels work) and environmental science, technology and web design, art and photography, English and journalism (writing letters, press releases), and more! Students must work together in smaller teams to trouble-shoot and solve complex, real-world problems. Each student is an asset to the team because they each have unique experiences and talents to contribute.

This past summer's race can be summed up as follows:

Eighteen days on the road, seventeen states, sixteen different hotel rooms, at an average speed of fifteen miles per hour, fourteen times in the local media, thirteen meals at McDonalds, twelve people (five girls, four guys, three chaperones), ten car batteries, nine days of racing, eight other teams, seven major community sponsors, six solar panels, two support vehicles, one solar car that went cross-country without ever having to stop for gas. Interdisciplinary experiential learning of a lifetime…PRICELESS!

Partner Statement

National Geographic congratulates "Solar Knight Racing", a team of students from the Environmental Science Magnet Program at South Plantation High School in Plantation, Florida, for the excellent work they're doing on behalf of the environment. They have, through hands-on learning, absorbed the lessons of solar energy by construction and manipulation of a drivable solar car. They've gained practical knowledge, learned valuable life-skills, applied classroom lessons to solve real-world problems, seen tangible results, and had fun. National Geographic, an organization dedicated to "inspiring people to care about the planet," is proud to join SeaWorld and Busch Gardens in recognizing the South Plantation High School Solar Knight Racing Project with an Environmental Excellence Award.