PALM DESERT, CA (February 24, 2024) — A partnership of Coachella Valley schools and civic partners are proud to announce the results of the Annual KidWind Regional Competition, which occurred on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024.

200 area students competed in the regional event, which took place February 24^th at Desert Hot Springs High School in Desert Hot Springs, CA. Elementary, middle and high school students demonstrated working wind turbine models that they designed and built. The student projects were judged by local industry partners and community leaders. This year’s competition is presented by NextEra Energy Resources and jointly sponsored by OneFuture Coachella Valley, Palm Springs Unified School District, Coachella Valley Unified School District, Riverside County Office of Education, College of the Desert, SM@RT Education, AES Clean Energy and KidWind. This was the thirteenth annual competition organized by the partnership.

69 teams competed in the 2024 event and the top eight earned invitations to compete at KidWind Worlds, which will take place May 5-8 in Minneapolis, MN.

OneFuture Coachella Valley brought KidWind to the Coachella Valley in 2011 in partnership with College of the Desert and support from the California Regional Consortium for Engineering Advances in Technical Education (CREATE) office at College of the Canyons with funding from the National Science Foundation. Today, the founding team of partners continues to support the event through OneFuture Coachella Valley’s Business Engagement Alignment Team, including College of the Desert, SM@RT Education, Palm Springs Unified School District, Coachella Valley Unified School District and the KidWind national team.  NextEra Energy Resources joined the team as a sponsor for the 2021 season. Riverside County Office of Education’s STEM division joined the program in 2023 as an outreach partner and AES Clean Energy joined as a sponsor in 2024, launching the AES Clean Energy Instant Challenge part of the competition.

KidWind helps teachers learn about wind energy technology, receive curriculum and materials for integrating wind energy instruction into their classes, and form student teams for a regional competition.

KidWind was started by a sixth grade California science teacher, Michael Arquin, who was not satisfied with the products available to teach children about wind energy science. KidWind creates affordable classroom-ready materials and free downloadable print materials to support teachers and students all over the world. For those who do not have the financial ability to purchase the materials, they also offer a giveaway program. Since founding the company in 2004, he has developed and is selling wind energy kits online. Visit KidWind at http://learn.kidwind.org/.

2024 Competition Winners

High School Division:

• Regenerator, Coachella Valley High School*
• The REAL Deal, Desert Hot Springs High School*
• The Desert Wind Rats, Desert Mirage High School*

Middle School Division:

• Earth, Wind and Fire, Valley View Elementary (Middle School Team) *
• Future Ready, Bobby Duke Middle School*
• Curiositers, Cesar Chavez Elementary (Middle School Team)*

Elementary School Division:

• The Wind Masters, Peter Pendleton Elementary*
• Skull Troopers, Valley View Elementary*
• The Handy Girls, Valley View Elementary

* Receive invitation to compete at KidWind Worlds, May 5-8 in Minneapolis, MN.

Special Judges Awards for Excellent & Innovation

• Jedi Courage Award: Jesus Heras, Palm View Elementary School
• Young Professionals Award: Wind Bros, Cahuilla Desert Academy
• Joule Thief Award: Wind Squad, Bobby Duke Middle School
• Personality Award: Jesus Cruz, Toro Canyon Middle School
• Top Tier Aesthetic Award: Star Energy, Bobby Duke Middle School
• Bejeweled Award: The Rockstars, Cesar Chavez Elementary
• Best Middle School Name Award: The Gale Force, Sea View Elementary

Perseverance Awards

• Milky Way, Desert Hot Springs High School
• Judge of Foehn, Sea View Elementary
• Super Lions, Peter Pendleton Elementary
• Techy Turtle, Palm View Elementary
• The Wind Masters, Peter Pendleton Elementary

AES Instant Challenge: Beautiful Wind Energy Art Contest Awards

• 1^st Place: Curiositers, Cesar Chavez Elementary
• 2^nd Place: Cesar Chavez Elementary
• 3^rd Place: Natalie Trevine, Saul Martinez Elementary

AES Instant Challenge: Wind Farm Drone Obstacle Challenge

• 1^st Place: Luis Chavez, Bobby Duke Middle School
• 2^nd Place: Yovan Gomez, Palm View Elementary
• 3^rd Place: Jesus Heras, Palm View Elementary
• 4^th Place: Guadalupe Ramirez, Desert Hot Springs High School
• 5^th Place: Alexia Orantes, Mountain Vista Elementary

 

About OneFuture Coachella Valley:

OneFuture Coachella Valley convenes local business, civic, and education partners to implement the Regional Plan for College and Career Success, which focuses on preparing all students for college, career, and life. OneFuture provides students with meaningful career explorations, work experience, and scholarships, as well as other supports for college and career success. A key ingredient in this approach is involvement of the region’s employers, ensuring that student preparation is aligned with local workforce needs. For more information, visit www.onefuturecv.org.