Imagine designing and constructing a moving car that isn’t conveniently powered by cable, battery, or gasoline like normal cars; instead, it is powered by energy harnessed from the sun. Younger students are given the opportunity to create and race such extraordinary solar-powered cars with their teammates by participating in the Junior Solar Sprint Competition.

The US Army Educational Outreach Program established the Junior Solar Sprint Competition in 2001 in order to help students in grades 5-8 develop teamwork and problem solving abilities, investigate environmental issues, and gain hands-on STEM skills.

In this modern age of technology, the importance of learning STEM continues to increase. Harmony Public Schools promotes STEM-based projects and competitions in order to improve student learning and proficiency in STEM fields starting at an early age. Currently, Mr. Suleyman Gecmenler, Harmony’s Southwest District STEM coordinator, and Dr. Yetkin Yildrim, the Rice University School Mathematics Project’s Director of STEM Projects, are dedicated to promoting these goals at Harmony through the establishment of a prestigious Junior Solar Sprint Competition. Dr. Yildrim believes that the JSS Competition has helped students with overall development through project-based learning in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Thousands of students compete in the Junior Solar Sprint every year, and this competition has slowly gained popularity as improvements in solar technology continue to be made.

Harmony Public Schools has been Army’s strategic outreach partner since 2016 and has recently hosted its annual Junior Solar Sprint Competition with 85 competitors from 11 different Harmony campuses. Congressman Pete Olson presented at this event, and after observing the huge impact the Junior Solar Sprint has on students, he commented, “STEM is our future; these are needed jobs, needed fields. What we want to aim for at Harmony and Rice University is that we want to teach these kids early because these kids, the ones attending this competition right now, are going to change our world.”

Students enjoy participating in the Junior Solar Sprint because they know that they are gaining many important skills and experiences from it. In fact, one of the team members of the 1st place team at Harmony’s Junior Solar Sprint competition, said, “I joined JSS because I really like innovating and creating things, so I thought this would be a good chance for me to prove my talent and interest.” The Junior Solar Sprint has provided many students a gateway into the world of STEM and shaped their career interests and passions.

In addition to the benefits of STEM-based learning, the Junior Solar Sprint advocates increased awareness about the environmental benefits of using renewable energy resources, particularly solar energy. As students participate in the JSS, they are more inclined to take better care of the our natural surroundings through unique technologies and innovations.

A major part of the Junior Solar Sprint Competition is to prepare Harmony kids to take part in STEM jobs in the future. As Congressman Pete Olson continuously emphasizes, not only will these students meet the demands of the STEM workforce, but they will also solve main global issues and change the world.


Written by: Harmony Public Schools Students, Anjali Agrawal and Busra Dokmen