Irrepressible squeals of glee erupted last month among scores of St. George’s Primary school girls on their first-floor classroom block.

The cause for excitement? 

These Grade 6 students had only just successfully completed building battery-operated electric cars sourced from robotics kits provided by Project eDrive (a JPS Foundation and IDB Lab collaboration). They then took the cars for test runs on the corridor of their Duke Street school.  

The pupils, aged 10 and 12, were the target demographic for Project eDrive. Guided by Kavelle Hylton, the CEO of STEM Builders Learning Hub, the girls were introduced to the fundamental concepts of electricity, electric mobility, and their applications. 

“We delved into the intricate components of electric vehicles (EVs) and how they are revolutionising the automotive industry by significantly reducing carbon emissions and mitigating the impacts of climate change,” Hylton explained of her mid-morning classroom discourse on the future of transportation with the young minds.

The event at St. George’s—the only all-female primary school in the island and the wider English-speaking Caribbean—was a pre-commemoration of International Girls in ICT Day, celebrated annually on the fourth Thursday in April, to inspire more women and girls to embrace the information and communication technology space. 

For facilitator Hylton, whose childhood aspirations to be a pathologist shifted in her high school years towards the sciences and, more specifically, to STEM education, there was immense pleasure from her interaction with the students.

“What particularly stood out was their genuine excitement about the hands-on activity, where they had the opportunity to construct their mini electric vehicle,” the educator reflected. “Witnessing their enthusiasm to delve into the world of engineering was not only gratifying but also pleasantly surprising. It’s often assumed that such pursuits primarily attract boys, so seeing all the girls equally excited and showing a high level of interest was heart-warming.”

Fully engaged by the crash course in EV rudiments was bright-eyed 11-year-Toniann Rowe.