‘The experience of a lifetime.’ Manatee students represent US in Abu Dhabi F1 race
A team of six Manatee County students traveled thousands of miles to Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates, to represent the United States in a global science, technology, engineering and mathematics competition.
The students — hailing from Palmetto High School, Southeast High School and the University of South Florida — faced off with at least 55 teams from dozens of countries during the F1 in Schools World Finals.
They put hundreds of hours into developing, testing and building a miniature, CO2-powered race car. On Wednesday, after several days of competition, the team was awarded sixth place during a ceremony on the Yas Marina Circuit, where the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix would soon take place.
“We have learned so much from this incredible experience,” team member Jaye Kendzior said in a prepared statement. “The most fun was meeting and competing with the other teams from around the world. We are grateful for our partners and families who made it possible to represent our nation.”
“It’s a tough competition and it has been the experience of a lifetime,” he continued.
Known as P1NNACLE, the team included:
- Hunter Raley, the manufacturing engineer and a student at Palmetto High School.
- Arianna Longo, the resource manager and a student at Palmetto High School.
- Abbygale Owen, the marketing manager and a student at Palmetto High School.
- Jaye Kendzior, the team manager and a student at Southeast High School.
- Jaxson Bunes, the design engineer and a student at USF.
- Eleanor Hopkins, the graphic designer and a student at Palmetto High School.
Brian Kendzior, an engineering and computer science teacher at Palmetto High, supported the team alongside Margi Nanney, a retired Manatee County educator.
“Seeing this team compete at the highest level in the world has been incredible,” Nanney said in a prepared statement. “This competition teaches them a variety of real world skills they will use all their lives.”
The School District of Manatee County has a tradition of sending talented young men and women to the global event. District students earned first place in 2010, third place last year and several top-three spots in the time between.
This year’s team also earned the Innovative Thinking Award, among several other nominations.
“Our cars performed strong with a fast time of 1.058 down the 60-foot track,” Bunes said. “We had a perfect car and the judges liked our quick change assembly part design.”
This story was originally published November 29, 2019 at 1:30 PM.