SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – After racking up numerous awards at the Maine state finals of the Junior Solar Sprint model solar car competition at Owls Head the weekend before, Elm Street School’s Meghan Rowe brought her entry, Starburst, to Springfield on June 8 for the northeastern regional championship.

There, competing against 95 other teams from Maryland to Maine, Rowe and Starburst copped one more honor, a second place for craftsmanship.

Joining Rowe in Springfield were two teams from Auburn Middle School, Bow-Chicka-Wow-Wow (Conner Coburn and Dallas Williamson) and Iron Man (Jordan Bishop and Seth Bryant).

Together with Starburst, these vehicles had taken the first three places for speed at Owls Head. The Auburn/Elm Street nexus was no surprise. Jim Rowe (Meghan’s dad), a technology educator at Auburn Middle School, has mentored student Sprinters at both schools for several years, and his charges have had enviable successes.

The northeastern event is organized by the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) with funding from the U.S. Army. The Junior Solar Sprint is coordinated in Maine by the Maine Energy Education Program (MEEP) and sponsored by Efficiency Maine.