Where do we go from here….

The 2017–18 KidWind Challenge season came to an amazing end early May in Chicago at the WINDPOWER 2018 Conference & Exhibition with nearly 500 students, coaches and parents in attendance. It came right down the wire with everything from melting generators and turbines that generated too much power for our gear to measure, to scores so close that picking winners was nearly impossible!
Lets take a minute to bask in the awesomeness of the 2017–18 KidWind Challenge season. It was a big year for our family!
- 32 State Level KidWind Challenges in 24 states
- 37 Educator Training Events, Over 800+ teachers trained in 33 states
- 4000+ Students directly participated at KidWind Challenge Events
- 400+ Online Challenge Submissions
- $50K+ in classroom wind energy equipment distributed
- Overall impact from KidWind Challenge related activities = 35K students.
- New KidWind State Challenges in Alaska, Califonia, South Carolina and even Belgium!
- New Solar Structures Challenge piloted

So, what is a KidWind Challenge?
The KidWind Challenge is the ultimate wind energy learning experience. Students discover the promise and limitations of wind energy technology while designing, building, and testing a functional wind turbine and competing with their peers in a supportive environment. The KidWind Challenge was developed in 2009 by the KidWind Project, an international leader in wind energy education, and has been embraced and supported by leading energy industry companies since its inception. For information on how to get involved, go to kidwindchallenge.org.
Curious about what this looks like? Check out this cool video from our friends at Apex Clean Energy:
Learn more about the KidWind Challenge here and here. And check out some photos from last year’s National KidWind Challenge.
MAD PROPS
We love the thousands of students who participate in KidWind Challenge events all over the world. They inspire us to work hard and develop quality prompts and challenges. To us, everyone who shows up to a KidWind Challenge is a winner!
That being said some students have pretty spectacular skills building turbines and they are the ones who are invited to compete at the annual National KidWind Challenge. At this event we raise the bar, increase the wind speeds and press students to really understand the power of the wind. If your team is recognized at one of these events, you are a serious wind master.

Nice work 2018 National KidWind Challenge Champions!
High School Division:
1st — Redwood Express from Bath County High School in Hot Springs, VA
2nd — Tuttle Windy’s from Tuttle High School in Tuttle, OK
3rd — Silver Bullet from Coachella Valley High School in Thermal, CA
Middle School Division:
1st — Oxford Air Sharks from Oxford Middle School in Oxford, KS
2nd — SPINNERS from Lanier Middle School in Fairfax, VA
3rd — The Birds from Darlington Elementary/Middle School in Darlington, WI + iTurbine X from Virginia Beach, VA.
This year we held the National KidWind Challenge in partnership with the 2018 Collegiate Wind Competition. Some of our students even got to run their turbines in the massive collegiate tunnels because they generated too much power for our equipment!

If you want to read some great stories about the event and meet some of teams check out these articles.
BIG THANKS!
As you can imagine it takes an amazing amount of positive energy to accomplish all of this work. Our amazing team of funders, trainers and volunteers help us get the job done!

Our Funders
We raised nearly $185,000 for 2017–18 Challenge season. Thanks to all of our supporters for your continued vision and energy around helping students and teachers learn about renewable energy. Every penny goes a long way, from the $5 generators that are provided to teams, to the prize checks we award students at Nationals, your funding is critical to our mission to teach the world about renewable energy.
Thanks to Vernier Software & Technology, as well as APEX Clean Energy, Appalachian Energy Center, AWEA, Bonneville Environmental Foundation, EDP Renewables North America, ENEL Green Power, Google, HARBEC, NextEra Energy Resources, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, National Society of Black Engineers, and Pattern Energy.

During the National KidWind Challenge we awarded EDP Renewables North America and Pattern Energy with Educational Leadership Awards for their unwavering support of renewable energy education.
REcharge Instructors + WindSenators
We have an amazing national outreach team. They make the magic happen at our local and regional event and work like crazy to get these teams to Nationals. Without their hard work and dedication none of this happens.
What does it take to be one of these heroes you ask? Well, first you have to attend a 50-hour summer training…and not get paid. Then you have to hustle to get an event organized locally.
Interested in joining the team? Check out what our summer training Academy looks like here.
Volunteers + Advisors
While these superstars do not give us money, they offer us their time, expertise and share the KidWind message with their friends! Thanks for your support, encouragement and passion!
So…where are we going from here?
How do you beat what was the biggest and best KidWind Challenge season ever? Well, you add some more states, more challenges (robotics and solar), and an advanced wind division — and you train even more teachers.

We have some ambitious plans for 2018–19:
- 40 State Level KidWind Challenges in 26 states
- 40 Educator Training Events, Over 1000 teachers trained in 35 states
- 5000+ Students directly participated at KidWind Challenge Events
- 600+ Online Challenge Submissions
- $75K+ in classroom wind energy equipment distributed
- Overall impact from KidWind Challenge related activities = 40K students.
- New KidWind State Challenges in Georgia, Delaware, Hawaii
- Launch a new KidWind Challenge website and Solar Structures Challenge
Want to be part of this renewable energy educational celebration? We would love to have you help us motivate the next generation of wind and solar workers!
DONATE. Are you an individual who wants to make a difference? We have a GoFundMe page up for the 2018–19 season check it out, make a donation, share with friends.
Join our long list of number of corporate sponsors lined up for the 2018–19 KidWind Challenge season. Send me a note (michael@kidwind.org) and we help you target your support in communities that matter to you!
VOLUNTEERS+MENTORS+PARTNERS. We are are looking for individuals, organizations and companies that want to help us teach the world about renewable energy. Our group of amazing volunteers help us hold events, serve as judges, and mentor teams. Sign up here and we will get in touch!
SHARE. Too busy or too broke to help out? We’ve been there! You can still share our message with your network!
Look forward to seeing you sometime this season…stay tuned!
Windy Days,
Michael Arquin, Director and Founder of KidWind
(651) 325–8149
Michael@kidwind.org
