Staff photo / Bob Coupland
Shyann Preisler, 12, a sixth grader at Champion Middle School, works on a wind turbine in the after school STEM program for fifth and sixth grades. The students learned how wind energy hitting a turbine can save on electricity. Plans are to get a windmill for the outdoor learning lab by the school.

CHAMPION — With an outdoor learning lab near the Champion school complex operated by solar and wind, sixth-grade students are learning how windmills and wind turbines help create energy.

About 20 sixth-grade students at Champion Middle School gathered after school Tuesday for the STEM program to make and try different turbines.

Science teachers Rebecca Baxter and David Murduck led the class and said materials for the program were provided by both the school district and grants.

The room had four stations where students got into groups of three to five and made turbines and then used fans to see if the blades would move. Baxter said the goal is to see which turbine will provide the most electricity.

She said students tested the length of the blades, the material it’s made from, pitch of the blade — which is slant and angle — the shape and number of blades. Students will test the blades for two days and based on what they find, they will create their own blades.

“I hope they gain a love of science and STEM initiatives and also show their creativity,” Baxter said.

Luke Kish, 11, said he feels he is gaining more knowledge and skills in science.

“We are learning how wind turbines work,” he said.

Reese Gibbs, 12, said she is learning the importance of teamwork while learning about science.

“I feel this will help me through middle school and high school,” Reese said.

Shyann Preisler, 12, said she feels the program is helping her gain more knowledge about science as she moves through high school and college.

The STEM program is offered to fifth and sixth graders after school with help from high school students.

Murduck said he wants the students to engage in different projects.

He said the wind turbines relate to windmills, and there are plans to get a windmill for the outdoor learning lab. Murduck said grants are being sought for a large windmill to generate electricity.

“I want the students to see that in the learning lab, solar panels are environmentally friendly. They are also learning that windmills use wind energy to help the environment,” Murduck said.