TOPEKA - The winners of the Kansas State KidWind Challenge are now gearing up for their next challenge – the National KidWind Challenge, to be held virtually June 8-10.  To qualify for the national competition, teams first had to capture one of the top two spots in their age division during regional competitions, then win first or second place in their age group at the state finals. The Most Improved Team in the state competition will also advance.

The winning teams representing Kansas are:

4th- 8th Grade Division
1^st place - BTU Crew – Dighton Middle School, USD 482
Coach: Tatum Vogel
Team Members: Westin Johnson, Charlie Vogel, Hank Davis, Cordell Davis

2^nd place – Team 2 – Beloit Junior-Senior High School, USD 273
Coach: Christie Fouts
Team Members: Charlie Burke, Lundyn Knight, Mckenna Channell

9th-12th Grade Division
1^st place – Hawkmores – Wheatland High School, USD 292
Coach: Diane Wetter
Team Members: Kerri Heier, Halle Habiger, Jett Vincent 

2^nd place – Just Levi – Paola Middle School, USD 368
Coach: Shari Hudgeons
Team Members: Emma Haley, Hazel Downum,  Zander Holdsworth

Most Improved Team
Wind Jammers, USD 257, Iola High School
Coach: Lisa Wicoff
Team Members: Ethan Collins, Gage Scheibmeir, Walker Logan, Thomas Hall

Prior to entering the KidWind competition, each student team learned about wind power then worked together to build a competition wind turbine using the design and materials of their choice. They also created a project design notebook documenting their journey. Ninety-one Kansas students participated in KidWind this year.

Instead of traveling to regional and state competitions as in past years, the events were virtual this year due to the pandemic. Each team submitted a video presentation, a video of their turbine performance testing, and a digital copy of their project design book. They also participated in a live virtual trivia event in lieu of the written quiz required in previous years. The national event will follow a similar process, with some additional challenges to be announced.

Last year, the National KidWind Challenge was cancelled due to the pandemic. In 2019, a Kansas team from Oxford High School won national honors. The Oxford Airsharks took home champion awards for Power Output and Wind Tracking, as well as top for overall performance.