Students build race cars in Winners Circle Project

On Board Online • February 20, 2023

By Pauline Liu
Special Correspondent

Imagine an educational program based on the sport of auto racing. A team of students spends the better part of the school year assembling a replica race car from a kit, while a business team learns about advertising, marketing and fundraising for the vehicle, which will be sold at auction (typically for around $45,000). And a multimedia team works on recording and editing commercials and promotional videos.

Such a program, called Winners Circle Project, is being piloted in several school districts in New York State. A version of the program started with the Candor Central School District in 2019, followed by the Waverly School District a year later. Two more districts, Watkins Glen and Owego Apalachin, soon joined in.

What these districts have in common is they're all located in New York's Southern Tier and share a racing heritage. Watkins Glen is internationally famous for its NASCAR races. Waverly is close to Watkins Glen as well as Chemung Speedrome, which was built in 1951 by the world famous racers, the Bodine Brothers. Owego is home to Champion Speedway, which is a motorcycle speedway track.

The program uses car kits purchased from Factory Five Racing based in Wareham, Massachusetts. One Waverly High School student became so adept at assembling cars that Factory Five eventually offered him a job.

"This is not a program that focuses squarely on racing," said Winners Circle Project founder and executive director Pius Kayiira. "We believe in building the entire student from the ground up."

When he was 10 years old, Kayiira attended a camp at Marist College where he befriended Chris Dyson, who is the current Trans Am champion. Through the Winners Circle Project, the childhood friends made good on their plans to work together when they got older.

Kayiira is the son of Dr. Andrew Kayiira, the former leader of the Uganda Freedom Movement who was assassinated in Uganda in 1987. He previously worked as a consultant with Boys Town and program coordinator for Upward Bound at Cornell University.

Kayiira believes the loss of his father inspired him to do the work he does today. "It's my life's dream to continue my father's legacy of making the world a better place for all human beings. WCP gives opportunities for our children to dream big and live life without limitations."

Chris Dyson, who sits on the board of the Dyson Foundation, test drives the cars built by students. He's joined in that role by students from the Alfred State College Motorsports facility located in Alfred, N.Y.

Each school year, the excitement begins as soon as a tractor-trailer pulls up to each school district with giant boxes filled with car parts. "We're building it in our bus garage with our bus mechanics as well," Waverly Superintendent Eric Knolles said. "It's a really good way for these kids to see what a real shop looks like and really take some responsibilities."

He added: "We're not building a car. What we're building is experiences for kids, experiential learning . I think it's just a very valuable opportunity for kids to get out of their comfort zone and do something different."

The goal is for students to feel empowered and to take charge of their own learning. "If they build this car - and are able to work with people who aren't in their social circle to accomplish something important - that's the real win for us," Knolles said.

The Winners Circle Project includes opportunities for students to explore career options. For instance, students from Waverly toured an auto auction house to find out how auctions work.

Watkins Glen High School recently hosted a workshop on entrepreneurship that included Willy T. , , the first African American to compete in the Indianapolis 500, often called the "Jackie Robinson of racing."

According to freshman Natalee Oliver, the business people who spoke didn't sugar coat their presentations. Instead, they talked about "all the obstacles along the way, facing diversity and being turned down by many and making their way back to the top," Oliver said.

Angela Morse, in her first year as a business teacher in Watkins Glen, described the program as an example of project-based learning. Students "experience what it takes to build a project, any project, from the ground up," Morse said. "Whether it's building a race car, writing a newsletter, or putting together a social media video, everyone has a role."

Waverly High School senior Michaela Spencer, who said she has struggled with extreme shyness for most of her life, has made a breakthrough; she will be featured in a documentary being produced by the Winners Circle Project.

"I hated public speaking," Spencer said. "It was like my biggest fear." Now, she finds public speaking exhilarating. "I find it more exciting if I'm talking about something that I'm really passionate about, which the Winners Circle is," she said.

She said the Winners Circle program also set her on a career path. She'll be going to Corning Community College this fall to continue her studies in marketing. She hopes to get a marketing job with the Winners Circle Project after graduation.

Kayiira said he would like to see the program expand into other New York school districts.