Eighth grade robotics class to begin project in January
Healdsburg Junior High School has been chosen as one of four schools in the county to be awarded a grant through the Career Technical Education (CTE) Foundation to build a street-legal electric vehicle known as a Switch Electric Vehicle. HJH is the only middle school that was chosen. HJH teacher Patricia Murphy will begin the project with her eighth grade robotics class in January.
“It’s very exciting that we’re the only middle school that’s taking part in this. I think engineering and technology should be started in elementary school and something this big should definitely be a part of middle school coursework because it can really spark that interest early, and I think that’s really important,” Murphy said.
The CTE Foundation, Sonoma County Office of Education (SCOE), Switch Vehicles, Inc. and Sonoma Clean Power joined together to implement The SWITCH Lab, an Electric Vehicle (EV) design and manufacturing program for local youth. The program teaches students to develop awareness, knowledge and skills around clean energy and STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math). The program provides instructor training, materials and curriculum for students to build an electric vehicle.
Switch Vehicles CEO Peter Oliver said that kits start at $22,000 and range to $32,000 with tax, training and curriculum. The kits can be assembled at school and then taken apart and used again.
The Sonoma County schools chosen to participate include: Healdsburg Junior High School, Santa Rosa High School, Petaluma High School and Archbishop Hanna High School.
Murphy said that HJH Assistant Principal Erika McGuire showed her the grant paperwork and asked if it was something she was interested in. “When she showed it to me and asked if we wanted to build a car, I immediately thought: ‘Yes, this will be incredible because this is something that the students can build and create on their own and show to the community,’” Murphy said. Murphy and McGuire filled out the grant application together.
There are 25 students in the robotics class, which is in its first year.
Murphy said that her students are excited to build the car, and have a lot of questions. “When I told them about it, their eyes kind of popped out of their heads,” she said.
Since school began, robotics students have been studying the engineering design process, and have been building LEGO structures and LEGO robots that move, function and have sensors.
Murphy said that the class hopes to present their electric vehicle at the Healdsburg Future Farmers Country Fair Twilight Parade.
Sebastopol-based Switch Vehicles developed the program that teaches middle school, high school and college students the fundamentals of EV design, assembly, manufacturing and maintenance.
“We’ve successfully deployed this unique education program in numerous schools throughout the U.S. and are thrilled to finally bring the program to Sonoma County,” said Oliver in a statement. Oliver said that Switch Vehicles is currently working on additional curriculum for computer inputs and control.
The company has been in discussions with SCOE and other local schools for some time, however, despite the rising interest in the program, organizations have been unable to move forward due to lack of funding. SCOE partnered with an anonymous donor earlier this year to fund the first program at Analy High School and the program got a helping hand in June, when Sonoma Clean Power sponsored the EV program through a $150,000 donation to the CTE Foundation.
The CTE Foundation and SCOE designed the process locally and plans to distribute kits to as many as 10 schools countywide within the next two years. The CTE Foundation is seeking to match the Sonoma Clean Power sponsorship in order to meet the two-year budget of $400,000.
