The Learning Barn’s KidWind team “Off the Grid!” had a great day at Dabney S. Lancaster Community College Saturday. The Botetourt County students earned first place in the state, as well as the Judges’ Award for the High School Division at the Regional KidWind Challenge in Clifton Forge. The team has been invited to the American Wind Energy Association Convention and National KidWind Challenge that will be held in Anaheim, Calif. in May. Team members with their $400 first prize check are (from left) Jacob Leonard, Jonathan Leonard, Josh Grimshaw, Thomas Laughridge and Tucker Grimshaw. It’s the second year the team has qualified for the nationals. The high school engineers have modified the performance of their small-scale wind turbine for maximum electricity production in hopes of improving on their sixth place finish and Judges’ Award earned at the National KidWind Challenge in May of last year. The team’s GoFundMe page is still accepting contributions for their travel and the next month of turbine redesign. To contribute to the students’ continued learning efforts, visit the team’s GoFundMe site at https://www.gofundme.com/ botetourt-kidwind-team..com/ botetourt-kidwind-team.
