Little Grove Primary School and Mt Barker Community College nab top spot in Synergy Schools Solar Challenge

Great Southern students have nabbed top spots in the Synergy Schools Solar Challenge Albany car race with Mt Barker, Little Grove, Denmark and Katanning kids securing a podium finish. More than 920 students from 150 WA metropolitan and regional schools took part in the challenge on March 20, building their science, technology, engineering, and maths skills by designing, building and racing solar-powered cars. Mt Barker Community College Year 8 students placed first while students from Katanning Senior High School finished second in the solar-powered car race. Little Grove Primary School students placed first in the Year 6 race, with Kwoorabup Nature School students placing second. Synergy acting chief executive Kurt Baker said the program was designed to inspire the upcoming generation of innovation in new energy solutions. “The energy industry is going through a time of rapid transformation and today’s kids will be leading the way in developing exciting new energy solutions,” he said. “As a trained mechanical engineer who started my career as a 17-year-old engineering cadet at Synergy’s Muja Power Station, I know the benefits that programs such as this have in shaping our future minds. “Learning about energy, battery technology and engineering principles in fun and engaging ways helped inspire my career trajectory and I am excited for it to do the same for the next generation.” The challenge is a joint initiative between Synergy and the Science Teachers’ Association of WA.