Pictured in cars, back to front: Brody Harp (driving), Alex Dowlen, JT Black (driving) and Anthony Rimback
Over the past school year, local elementary, middle and high schools competed in GreenPower USA regional races in electric power race cars that they designed and built. Although the race season was cut short due to COVID-19, including the Chattanooga Green Prix which was to be held in Chattanooga on March 13 and 14, many local teams were able to showcase their hard work and are now being recognized for those achievements.
Tennessee Valley Robotics Team #04 was awarded National Champion by placing first in the GreenPower USA Intermediate Stock Car Category with their partner team Tennessee Valley Robotics Team #93 placing second.
The teams raced across the southeast in multiple races. In addition to their top race times, they were judged in multiple presentations related to engineering, design, team work and other STEM related criteria. The team cars are sponsored by Tennessee Valley Robotics, whose goal is to support robotics in education, teaching students the STEM skills needed to prepare them for the future job market.
“I was lucky to have such a great team of students! I’ve enjoyed getting to know these young men and watching them grow. I can’t thank TN Valley Robotics enough for sponsoring the team and our very supportive parents who traveled with us all over the Southeast,” said Coach Scott Rosenow.
Other local teams including Red Bank Middle placed 6th and Dalewood Middle placed 8th in the Intermediate Custom Class.
GreenPower USA, headquartered in Huntsville, is the United States organizer for the GreenPower International Program. Their mission is to "advance education in the subjects of sustainable engineering and technology to young people." GreenPower runs engineering challenges for schools based around designing and building a single seat electric powered race car.
The Chattanooga Green Prix is a program administered by green|spaces to support local schools in participating in the GreenPower USA program. Started in 2016 with support from the Lyndhurst Foundation and TN Valley Robotics, the program has grown to almost 40 local schools, where over 400 students participate by designing, building and racing electric power race cars. Students on the teams are assigned roles at the beginning of the year including Electric Systems Engineer, Telemetry Engineer, Vehicle Dynamics Engineer, Marketing Manager, Head of Logistics, Body Designer and Driver.
Chattanooga Green Prix Participating Schools:
Nolan Elementary | Orchard Knob Elementary | Red Bank Elementary | Rivermont Elementary | St. Peter’s Episcopal | Lookout Valley Elementary | Harrison Elementary | Woodmore Elementary | East Lake Elementary | Dupont Elementary | Middle Valley Elementary | Brown Elementary | Barger Academy | Hillcrest Elementary | Hardy Elementary | Bright School | Dalewood Middle | Hixson Middle (2 teams) | Howard Connect | Orchard Knob Middle | Red Bank Middle | Soddy Daisy Middle | East Lake Academy | Ooltewah Middle | Baylor School | Howard High STEM School | Brainerd High | McCallie School | Sequoyah High | Red Bank High | TN Valley Robotics | Central High | Signal Mountain High | Chattanooga Prep
Schools on the waiting list for cars and seeking sponsorship include:
East Hamilton Middle/High | Sale Creek Middle/High | Ivy Academy | CCA | Normal Park |CSAS | Snow Hill Elementary | Bess T. Shepard Elementary| Apison Elementary | N. Hamilton Elementary | Wolftever Creek Elementary| Wallace A. Smith Elementary | Battle Academy
Sponsors of the Chattanooga Green Prix include: The Lyndhurst Foundation, EPB, Volkswagen, TN Valley Robotics, The Fullgraf Foundation, Chattanooga Region Sports Car Club of America, TVA, Chattanooga Breakfast Rotary Club, OTW Safety, Benwood Foundation, Unum, RockRidge Venture Law, The Krystals Foundation, Terracon, Rotary Club of Chattanooga, UnFoundation, Nash Icon 107.9 and Urban Story Ventures.
Pictured, from left to right, back row: Drew Rimback - parent, Anthony Rimback, Brody Harp and Scott Rosenow - coach; from left to right, front row: JT Black, Alex Dowlen and Dax Dang.