Cullman Area Technology Academy student Dylan White, from left, Sanmina Corporation’s Carl Duckett, Siemens Corporation’s Patricia Jebeles, Huntsville City Schools’ Julia West, Siemens Corporation’s Douglas Stainbrook and CATA student Dawson Segers stand with the Greenpower Electric Car Challenge kit car that was purchased with a $5,000 grant from Sanmina.

Students at the Cullman Area Technology Academy will soon be taking part in electric car races after receiving a grant from the Sanmina Corporation.

The $5,000 grant covered the purchase of a kit that will be used as a starting point for students to design and build an electric race car for the Siemens Corporation’s Greenpower Electric Car Project.

The kit will provide students a workable set of raw materials, and they will be responsible for the design and construction of a car that will then be entered into regional competitions. For the competitions, teams will have to drive the car as far as possible in 90 minutes, but will only be able to use one battery pack.

Principal Billy Troutman said the project is especially important for the school because students from different programs will all be able to work together for one goal. Students from the engineering programs will work on the design.

The academy’s precision machinery students will be involved in making the required parts. Automotive service students will also be involved in building of the car, Troutman said.

And, because of the academy’s countywide reach, the project will involve students from every high school in the county, including Cullman High School.

“The collaborative effort is what’s so good about it,” Troutman said.

The project will get started at the beginning of the school year, but it will not be for this year only, Troutman added.

He said he would like to see the car get built and win some races during the first year, but even if it doesn’t, students in the future will be able to learn from previous designs and continue to improve their car.

When it comes to teaching math and science in the classroom, simply looking at numbers on a page can be a difficult way to get excited about the subjects. But allowing the students to work on a real-life project shows the practical applications of those subjects, Troutman said.

“It’s a great way to create some excitement about career technical education,” he said.

Aside from the collaboration and teamwork, Troutman said the project will also enable students to get more hands-on work, and will allow them to showcase their work to the community.

“It promotes technology. We’re getting to promote academic achievements,” he said. “It’s their Friday night football.”

Tyler Hanes can be reached at 256-734-2131 ext. 138