FOREST HILLS, Mich. — Students at Forest Hills Northern High School are celebrating after their electric vehicle project earned grand champion honors at the Square One Innovative Vehicle Design Competition.
The high school team also took home top awards for innovation and performance, capping off months of design, testing and troubleshooting work on their electric vehicle built from scratch.
"I was super happy, like all our work went right to those trophies," said Enli Hoxha, a junior at Forest Hills Northern High School. "Yeah, it was really cool."
Four-Month Build Process
The project is part of the school's Drive program, which is offered through an AP Physics 2 class. Students began discussing the car project at the start of the school year but didn't begin serious construction until after winter break. The entire process from design to finish took about four months.
The project taught students real-world skills from welding to electrical wiring to problem-solving under pressure.
"All the stuff I would learn about electrical, about like mechanical, those are careers I want to explore in the future," said Breck Subedi, a junior planning to pursue electrical or mechanical engineering.
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Overcoming Real-World Challenges
Students faced real-world challenges, including supply chain issues and last-minute technical problems. Junior Mikel Maiz, a 16-year-old exchange student, recalled a crucial fix.
"We had a moment when the day before the competition, like the brake lights didn't work, and then the next day we went to a competition, we just fixed it there, and it worked, and that feeling was awesome," Maiz said.
Students also handled marketing and outreach efforts, with some taking leadership roles.
Impact Beyond the Resume
Physics teacher Elbert Yeh, who has taught at Forest Hills Northern for 23 years, believes the hands-on experience will benefit students beyond what appears on their resumes.
"In terms of the effect that this kind of project has on the student's life experience, I think that's a bigger impact than it is on their resume," Yeh said.
Over his 23 years at Forest Hills Northern, Yeh has witnessed the lasting impact of such programs on students' professional development.
"I've had lots of students come through these programs, right, and so without these opportunities for them to kind of explore and be leaders and problem solvers, they actually would not be the type of leaders that they are right now in their industry," Yeh said.
Career professionals say such experiences can help students stand out as they transition to their careers.
"Experience is experience, whether it was worked, whether it was a project, whether it was something that you did through a process, it's going to look good," said LaShone Manuel, career coaching manager at Calvin University.
The program is supported by the Forest Hills Public Schools Foundation, which provides funding that wouldn't otherwise be available through the district's building budget.
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