ULM hosts 3rd Annual KidWind Challenge

Published February 20, 2026

Four middle school students test a model wind turbine.

CAPTION:听Students from Cedar Creek School test their wind turbine at the 3rd听Annual听KidWind听Challenge at Bayou Pointe Event Center on January 15, 2026.听听

MONROE, La.听鈥撎�成人抖音 hosted the 3rd Annual听KidWind听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.听

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听included听Cedar Creek School,听Choudrant听High School, Sterlington High School, Calhoun Middle School, Good Hope Middle School, West Ridge Middle School, and Woodlawn Junior High School.听

Student teams competed for cash prizes, and the top performers earned invitations to the 2026 World听KidWind听Challenge, which will be held May 17鈥�20 at the University of Wisconsin鈥揗adison. This year, teams from Cedar Creek and Good Hope qualified to advance to the World听KidWind听Challenge.听

Travel stipends were again provided by event sponsor Pattern Energy, reinforcing the shared commitment to expanding clean energy education in Louisiana.听

The STEM Collective for Innovative LA Stakeholders (SCILS) Region 8 LA STEM Center partnered with ULM for the third consecutive year, continuing to expand access to hands-on STEM experiences and clean energy career pathways across Northeast Louisiana.听

KidWind听Challenge founder and director Michael听Arquin听celebrated the program鈥檚 progress in Monroe. 鈥淚 am so excited to watch the ULM team hold their 3rd听KidWind听Challenge. What started as an experiment has blossomed into an amazing event that听KidWind听is proud to be a part of. We are excited to see the top performers at听KidWind听World in Wisconsin this spring!鈥�听

The continued participation of regional schools reflects growing interest in STEM education and renewable energy innovation. As the event听completes听its third year at ULM,听KidWind听Challenge听continues to be听a platform for discovery, collaboration, and future career exploration.听

For more information about the听KidWind听Challenge, please visit听听