A wind farm located in Manhattan, KS was the site of a recent competition for some of our White City students. The competition sought to determine who could build the best wind farm.
This year, some of our bright Junior High Rural Vista students participated in this event. The students that went to the event were all 8th graders: Joshua Lautt, Logan Oliver and Blake Calvert.
For the competition, the science class made a regular “Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine”. This is also called a HAWT. It was an apt choice because the HAWT is the dominant modern style of wind turbine. The HAWT style of wind turbine has 3 giant blades, propelled by the wind. This style of wind turbine accounts for 90 percent of global wind energy.
Unfortunately, none of our Rural Vista students won the competition. Regardless, it was still a “very enjoyable experience.” Science teacher Charles Boggess says, “There were tons of very interesting turbines there.” His personal favorite part of the event: “I enjoyed watching the different students interact with the competition”.
Students came from all around to participate. Many schools from different areas of Kansas were at the event such as: Abilene, Rossville, West Indianola, Saint Marys, and Chapman.
Victory isn’t everything. Our students enjoyed their experience learning about the benefits of wind energy.