It took a series of orientation sessions for students from the Youth Opportunity Center in Jurupa to learn how to harness the power of the sun.
Last month, more than 50 students learned about solar energy and how photovoltaic light panels can power a car.
They also built their own model solar cars with the assistance of their parents, said Pen Fawaz, administrator at the youth center.
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Special to The Press-Enterprise
Jurupa Unified School District students race their solar-powered cars against each other during an April 22 Earth Day celebration.
On April 22, about 20 of the students raced their cars against each other during an Earth Day celebration in Dos Lagos, a Corona development.
"I wanted to involve the kids in learning about alternative energy sources, especially solar energy," Fawaz said from his office at the youth center.
The youth center is sponsored by the Jurupa Unified School District and seeks to motivate and counsel troubled youth.
The center serves at-risk youths by providing them with mentoring, extracurricular activities and training that will help them build foundations for their future, a news release said.
The students enjoyed learning about solar energy and putting that knowledge to work in a race against their peers, said Fawaz, who coordinated the event for the youth center.
During the orientation sessions, students were told how to build the cars and were challenged to build them for optimum speed.
The Green Institute for Village Empowerment, a newly founded nonprofit organization, donated building kits for the students to build the cars.
Co-sponsors of the event included Southern California Edison, the city of Corona, Riverside County Economic Development Agency, and radio stations KOLA, KTIE and KVCR.
Solar-car race winners were: Adrian Vasquez, 16, of Jurupa, first place; Robert Estrada, 18, of Jurupa; second place; and Nathan Morales, 6, of Moreno Valley, third place.
Due to lack of transportation, some children weren't able to attend the celebration at Dos Lagos, Fawaz said.
"Maybe next year I'll have a plan to provide transportation for all the kids, so that they all can attend," he said.
Reach Juan Saucedo at 951-368-9661or jsaucedo@PE.com
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