Pinellas students swap classrooms for racetrack at Grand Prix STEM Day

STEM Day for students at St. Pete Grand Prix

Pinellas County Schools incorporated a field trip to the St. Pete Grand Prix into their fourth annual STEM Day. FOX 13's Kailey Tracy reports.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The classroom for nearly 100 Pinellas County middle schoolers was replaced by the roar of engines at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on Friday.

Eighty students from the STEM Explorer programs at John Hopkins Middle, Bay Point Middle, Thurgood Marshall Fundamental Middle and Azalea Middle got an up-close look at how science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) power professional racing.

READ MORE: St. Petersburg native Ryan Leach reps his hometown and his dad at St. Pete Grand Prix

Pinellas County Schools, St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch and the city hosted the fourth annual Team Accelerate STEM Day.

"It was unbelievable," eighth-grader Ryan Pedigo said. "I didn’t know how much engineering went into these cars alone."

The backstory:

The day began down the street from the track at the Maritime and Defense Technology Hub, where students got to work on hands-on activities, exploring how metals, plastics, ceramics and composite materials are made and improved, and why those innovations matter on the racetrack. 

Students also heard from local companies, including SubUAS, which has developed a drone that can travel seamlessly underwater and in the air, and Haddy, a furniture manufacturer that utilizes AI-driven 3D printing to create customized pieces.

What they're saying:

"We believe that students have to have these experiences if they want to have a dream," Cathie Mullins, an instructional staff developer for Pinellas County Schools, said. "If you don't know there's possibilities for a career with racing, you can't dream about it."

Mayor Welch visited with the students as well. Then, they headed down to the paddocks and got to meet drivers and see behind the scenes, learning first-hand how STEM is involved in making the race car go. They also got to watch the action from the grandstands.

 "A lot of the combustion engines and everything like that, I really didn't know how those worked until now. I learned a lot today," Pedigo said. "It was surreal looking at these cars and it was just so cool talking to all the mechanics and everything, seeing how they do their job every day. These are some of my dream jobs."