In the heat of the summer, out of all the possible places students could be, a group of rising high school seniors is at school prepping for one of the biggest tests they've ever had.
From scratch, with no blueprints, directions, or guidance, the students built a solar-powered car.
"There's so much that has to go into it. I shocked myself on the main batteries a few times," said student Levi Johanon.
"I'm the main welder. I taught most of the people how to weld, but most of the work was done by me," added student Christopher Chagoya.
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Tapping into their inner Henry Ford, students at Harmony School of Innovation, chose to compete against students across the country in not just making a car, but making a safe, reliable one that could make a road trip to California.
"In order to maintain the angle of the wheels when you go over a bump you need to find specific ratios for different parts of the car. I wouldn't have known how to do it without the math classes I've taken at the school," said student Austin Guzzardo.
"Physics is great, but engineering is where you apply it," added teacher Chris Bannister. "This is a good start, this is more than I ever did in any of my classes going into college."
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But does it work? Ask anyone around Harmony School of Innovation in Fort Worth, and they'll tell you, "Yes, it does."
"I've gotten this car to up to 40 mph on the back roads of the schools," said Chagoya.
The students competed against other schools, racing their cars at Texas Motor Speedway to see how they hold up and if the car can reliably handle the long drive to California.
The students didn't design an air conditioner, so they'll make the trip through the desert with just a tiny fan. But that's not the only problem.
"I don't personally have a driver's license yet," said Johanon.
There's no way to design themselves out of a lack of license, but what they've done here on their own, using their knowledge from the classroom ... well they call it one of their favorite high school experiences ever.
