Over 45 Students Build Solar Ovens Through Bridge Builders STEM Project
More than 45 students from Booker T. Washington Elementary, Davis Middle School, the Young Men’s Leadership Academy (YMLA), and Sam Houston High School participated in hands-on STEM mentoring sessions hosted by the J.L. August Bridge Builders Foundation in San Antonio. The sessions were held this month across the four East Side campuses.
Students built working solar ovens using cardboard, aluminum foil, and plastic wrap. The goal was to teach how solar heat is captured and insulated while allowing students to test designs, track results, and work as teams. The ovens successfully cooked s’mores as part of the learning experiment.
Dr. Jeffery Lawrence August, President of the J.L. August Bridge Builders Foundation, said he was proud of the students’ enthusiasm and problem-solving skills, noting that the project blended science with leadership development.
Mentees from all grade levels learned renewable-energy concepts, engineering basics, and how collaboration connects to leadership both in and outside the classroom. Students also discussed how solar oven designs can be adapted for different climates and how engineers test prototypes before improving them.
The project was part of the Foundation’s broader mission to mentor and guide young men across many SAISD school partnerships which are providing consistent leadership support, academic encouragement, and exposure to STEM opportunities through J.L. August Bridge Builders Foundation.
