Published February 20, 2026

CAPTION:泭Students from Cedar Creek School test their wind turbine at the 3rd泭Annual泭KidWind泭Challenge at Bayou Pointe Event Center on January 15, 2026.泭泭
MONROE, La.泭泭91做厙 hosted the 3rd Annual泭KidWind泭Challenge in Louisiana on Thursday, January 15, 2026, at Bayou Pointe Event Center. The event continues to empower students and educators to explore the challenges and opportunities of a clean-powered future.泭
Area middle and high school students designed, constructed, and tested small-scale wind turbines and solar structures, gaining hands-on experience in renewable energy and engineering design. Participating schools泭included泭Cedar Creek School,泭Choudrant泭High School, Sterlington High School, Calhoun Middle School, Good Hope Middle School, West Ridge Middle School, and Woodlawn Junior High School.泭
Student teams competed for cash prizes, and the top performers earned invitations to the 2026 World泭KidWind泭Challenge, which will be held May 1720 at the University of WisconsinMadison. This year, teams from Cedar Creek and Good Hope qualified to advance to the World泭KidWind泭Challenge.泭
Travel stipends were again provided by event sponsor Pattern Energy, reinforcing the shared commitment to expanding clean energy education in Louisiana.泭
The STEM Collective for Innovative LA Stakeholders (SCILS) Region 8 LA STEM Center partnered with 91做厙 for the third consecutive year, continuing to expand access to hands-on STEM experiences and clean energy career pathways across Northeast Louisiana.泭
KidWind泭Challenge founder and director Michael泭Arquin泭celebrated the programs progress in Monroe. I am so excited to watch the 91做厙 team hold their 3rd泭KidWind泭Challenge. What started as an experiment has blossomed into an amazing event that泭KidWind泭is proud to be a part of. We are excited to see the top performers at泭KidWind泭World in Wisconsin this spring!泭
The continued participation of regional schools reflects growing interest in STEM education and renewable energy innovation. As the event泭completes泭its third year at 91做厙,泭KidWind泭Challenge泭continues to be泭a platform for discovery, collaboration, and future career exploration.泭
For more information about the泭KidWind泭Challenge, please visit泭泭
