Katie Robards and Sara Williams are elementary school educators from Tennessee, and their fifth-grade students made it all the way to the National Junior Solar Sprint competition (JSS) in Orlando, Florida! Discover how these two teachers inspired their students to design, build, and race solar-powered cars!

When did you first get involved with AEOP? What made you decide to participate in JSS? 

Katie: This is my second year doing JSS, and my sixth year as a classroom educator. Our district science lead, Anne Head, told all of the elementary school teachers about JSS, and my academic coach encouraged me to sign up. 

Sara: This is my fourth year teaching math and science and my first year doing JSS! We’re both starting at a new school in the fall, Kirkwood Elementary School, and we’re super excited to be bringing JSS along with us! We have four groups of four students each year. Annie Head organizes a regional competition for our entire district, and the top teams get to go to nationals. We had two teams qualify for nationals this year!

What role does JSS play at your school?

Sara: Students come either before or after school, so this is something that takes commitment on their part. It takes parent buy-in, too. At Rossview, it is kind of competitive; I taught fourth graders last year who were saying how much they wanted to sign up for JSS once they became fifth graders! It is cool to see that they’re looking forward to something so much. Our school supports this: during regionals, our district projected the race, and my fourth-grade students got to watch the fifth-grade students race. They were all cheering and super excited!

Could you talk about your nationals experience? What did it look like, and what kind of emotions popped up – both for you and for the students?

Katie: We didn’t know what to expect; we didn’t realize how big TSA was in general. When we saw how many students – thousands of kids and parents from all over the country – it was a little overwhelming at first, especially because we had fifth graders, the youngest group there. But the kids had so much fun, learned a lot and got to have new experiences! The students were nervous, but they handled it very well. 

Sara: The main thing that I saw from start to finish is a sense of independence and pride in the work that they’ve been dedicated to all year. It was a great culmination of: “Okay, now this is the big show! They got to see not only other Army teams through AEOP, but also teams from other countries, which was so cool! Students were highly independent, doing interviews and racing the cars by themselves; letting them handle it on their own was a big step in the right direction for them. They also developed a strong sense of pride, as we were there representing Rossview, and even Tennessee. This experience allowed them to truly appreciate what they had achieved and witness the impact of their hard work on a larger scale. There was a sense of something bigger than themselves that I don’t think that they had a chance to see prior to going to Nationals.

What is a favorite memory from your time with JSS?

Katie: I would definitely say our district regional race! Most of the people we compete against are in middle school, whereas we’re in elementary school. But all of our students cheered every other team on. They were rooting for other teams to succeed, even if they themselves didn’t place.

Sara: At nationals, they unfortunately didn’t advance to the second round, but we asked the students if they wanted to go back the next day to watch the other races, and they were so enthused! Rossview students were still able to support other teams and cheer them on: “Oh, my gosh, we’re so proud of you! We’re rooting for you!” It was nice to see that they were humble about everything, understanding that we’re not going to win everything, but that we could still enjoy the experience and watch g other students succeed.

Can you share an example of what students struggled but persevered through?

Sara: We had a group that struggled with their car for two full weeks. This group was having trouble because their car wasn’t running, while the other three teams had cars that were working smoothly. They were all such smart, sweet kids, and I really wanted to jump in and fix it for them, even though I didn’t know the exact problem. But Katie thankfully told me, “Sara, you have to let them figure it out. Let them do this; they can figure it out.” Eventually, they discovered they were using two bottom gears instead of using a top gear and a bottom gear. When they realized that and changed the gear ratio, their car started moving. The success we saw on their faces was worth my impatience and Katie having to remind me to wait. They were truly proud of themselves for solving the problem, instead of being thankful to me for fixing it for them. That was definitely a really awesome moment for us to see.

Katie: Their cars require a guiding wire with a paperclip that has to be at the perfect angle for the car to work. There was one group that just couldn’t figure out why their car wouldn’t go, and it turned out to be the guiding wire. They leaned on other groups for help, asking to see their guiding hooks and comparing them. They noticed that the other group’s guiding wire looked different, so they tried adjusting theirs accordingly. It was great to see that, even though they’re competing against each other, they were still willing to help each other. Instead of giving up, that group sought help from their peers, not just from Sara. I was really, really proud of them for that.

How has the community reacted to JSS?

Sara: Right after the competition, the parents – while we were still on the trip – were already asking, ‘So what do we do to get them into JSS for middle school? Can you write us a recommendation? How does the application work?’ They are ready to go to work! Even right after not advancing to the next round, the parents, the students, and advisors were asking, ‘What can we do to make our car better? What are we going to change about it next time?’ So even though the next school year hasn’t started yet, these kids are motivated to make it work, and they’re eager to return to Nationals. They want to continue to grow and go farther next time. Before the competition, we also held a showcase where parents could come and watch the kids do their time trials. There were so many parents, teachers, and administrators who came just to cheer the kids on. It was incredible. The kids really got to showcase their talents, struggles and successes. Teachers donated their time to stay after school, to conduct practice interviews, to cheer them on and to watch them race. 

Katie: I once had a student teacher who, after seeing my students do JSS, got her own classroom and brought JSS to her new school. That was really cool, seeing that level of leadership in her first year!

What advice would you give to other teachers and students who may be interested in JSS?

Katie: In your first year of teaching, there’s so much you’re not used to and need to prepare for. But don’t give up just because it feels overwhelming. My second year was a breeze compared to the first. As for students, they need to have the motivation to try. They might be unsure at first, but once they get into it, they realize how much fun it is. It really teaches them not to give up. I had many students who thought it was going to be too hard, but those who stuck with it were the ones who won regionals or made it to nationals.

Sara: I would say to students: don’t be afraid of failure. That’s how you’re going to grow and learn the most — when you face those really hard challenges and think, “I have no idea how I’m going to get out of this.” But when you collaborate and come together as a team, success becomes much sweeter. Don’t be afraid of messing up or falling along the way, because it will make the achievement much better. As a teacher, I would say trust your students. It might not seem like they’re going to reach the finish line, but they will find a way. They’re more resilient than you may expect. Next year, I’m excited to be more hands-off!

To learn more about JSS, click here.