Community partnerships and hands-on learning are helping Frankfort High School students take engineering beyond the classroom.
This year, students in FHS engineering and automotive technology courses spent months building, testing, and fine-tuning an electric go-kart as part of a new partnership connected to Purdue University’s annual evGrand Prix competition. Led by FHS Engineering Teacher Dainon Wray and Automotive Technology Teacher Ken Dooley, the project gave juniors and seniors an opportunity to apply classroom concepts through real-world problem solving, teamwork, and competition.
The project itself began with an idea inspired by Wray’s own experience as a student at Purdue under mentor teacher Jon Woessner, who introduced him to Benton Central’s Supermileage club.
Soon after Wray began teaching at Frankfort, Purdue’s Formula SAE team reached out and began using Frankfort’s parking lot to test and tune their race car. Wray and Dooley started exploring ways to bring a similar opportunity to FHS students.
“I knew I had to get my students connected with those Purdue students,” Wray said. “They design and build their own race car from the ground up. Then they race against 150 other Universities at the Michigan International Speedway.”
With support from the Greater Lafayette Career Academy, the program received an electric go-kart and equipment needed to begin competing in the Purdue evGrand Prix series.
Students immediately got to work.
Throughout the school year, engineering and automotive students tested and tuned the kart by adjusting tire pressures, front axle width, tire angles, and other performance variables while carefully tracking lap times after each change. Students also troubleshot electrical and mechanical issues using tools like multimeters and diagnostic testing methods learned in class.
“We modeled a lot of our process after theirs,” Wray said. “They have been a wonderful partner as they have mentored the FHS engineering students.”
The work culminated this spring when Frankfort students traveled to Purdue University to compete in the annual evGrand Prix electric go-kart race.
Kevin Lopez-Sandoval served as Frankfort’s rookie driver, supported by a team of fellow engineering students handling timing, pit decisions, adjustments, and track operations throughout the event. By the end of the day, Lopez-Sandoval improved his lap times from 35 seconds to a low of 32.22 seconds, earning fourth place in the B Heat.
“Our pit crew of Mateo Valdez Vasques, Daniel Martinez Mendoza, and Korbin Webster made several timely decisions that greatly helped Kevin achieve quicker lap times, making him competitive as a rookie driver,” Wray said.
Students made adjustments throughout the competition, including “changing the width between the front tires to make turning require less force,” according to Wray. The team also “tested multiple tire pressures to increase the kart’s grip on the track.”
In addition to preparing the kart itself, students also played a major role in helping fund the project. Wray said students spent time contacting local businesses for sponsorship support during a classroom fundraising initiative and also launched a small 3D printing business that sold custom prints to students and staff.
“Go-karting is expensive,” Wray said. “Dooley and I are seeking to purchase more go-karts so the teams could be 4 students per kart instead of 20 students per kart.”
Wray credited several community partners for helping make the opportunity possible, including Greater Lafayette Career Academy, Purdue Formula SAE, and Lilly’s Lebanon Community Affairs Committee.
“Dooley and I would like to thank Craig Locker and his classes at Greater Lafayette Career Academy,” Wray said. “They gave us a fully functional go-kart to turn this dream into reality.”
For students at Frankfort High School, the project represents more than just a race. Through partnerships with Purdue University and local industry supporters, students are gaining experience in engineering design, automotive technology, fabrication, diagnostics, data analysis, teamwork, and communication skills directly connected to college programs and future careers.
“I would like to thank my students for tirelessly working and for their patience as we learned how to pilot this project in the classroom,” Wray said. “And boy did they enjoy it!”
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Community members or businesses interested in helping sponsor a karting team or support the program can contact Dainon Wray directly at wrayd@frankfort.k12.in.us or by phone at (765) 654-8545 ext. 2224.
