GRANITE FALLS — An all-girl team from Granite Falls High School got national attention this week for the car they designed and built from scratch for last year’s national fuel-efficiency competition in Texas.
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan in a speech Wednesday praised the ShopGirls team and the program where they learned how to build the diesel-powered vehicle that got 470 miles per gallon.
“They called their car the ‘Iron Maiden,’ ” Duncan said. “You won’t be surprised to hear that the Iron Maiden won the diesel fuel design competition — and the cash award that went with it.”
The girls worked hard for months.
The Iron Maiden placed first in the prototype diesel division, winning $1,000, and third in the safety award category, with a prize of $500, at the Shell Eco-marathon Americas competition in March 2010.
Duncan spoke at the Harvard University-based Pathways to Prosperity Project, which supports developing a network to guide students from high school to a future career. He said the ShopGirls team is a perfect example of a strong Career and Technical Education program.
“What impresses me about the ShopGirls group — other than building a car that gets 470 miles a gallon — is how the project influenced their lives,” State Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn said.
One of the team members graduated last year as a valedictorian and went on to Washington State University to study engineering. Another, a top student, has applied to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said Michael Werner, who teaches the manufacturing program where the Iron Maiden was born.
“We were totally surprised and really honored that our little program can garner that much attention,” he said Friday.
The project is funded with grants, including a grant for women in non-traditional jobs, Werner said. Parents and other volunteers also help make it happen.
ShopGirls have tweaked and improved the Iron Maiden for this year’s competition. Five students stayed on the team from last year, and the sixth member is an exchange student from Vietnam.
The school’s other team, UrbanAutos, is entering its car in the urban concept category. It’s a mix of boys and girls this year.
Werner said he’s glad to see technical education finally get the attention it deserves. He is trying to teach students what industry leaders like to see in their employees.
Other classes within the Career and Technical Education program include business, Web design and graphics, consumer science and health courses.
The ShopGirls’ goal this year is to make the Iron Maiden squeeze out 678 miles per gallon, exceeding the North American record by more than 100 miles per gallon.
Katya Yefimova: 425-339-3452; kyefimova@heraldnet.com.
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