Schools / McLean / May 20, 2026

McLean-Area Students Capture Top Honors With Wind and Solar Designs

Students from Langley and McLean high schools and Cooper Middle School earned top-three finishes at the Virginia KidWind State Competition on April 11 at James Madison University.

By Tysons Times Staff

Editorial illustration of Northern Virginia community life with transit, schools and local businesses — A Tysons Times illustration represents community life across Tysons and Northern Virginia. Photo: Tysons Times / AI illustration

Coverage area: McLean
Section: Schools
Published: May 20, 2026
Topics: schools, mclean

Article Text

Students from Langley and McLean high schools and Cooper Middle School earned top-three finishes at the Virginia KidWind State Competition on April 11 at James Madison University.

Langley junior Emma Zheng, freshman Halia Ochieng and Cooper eighth grader Aaron Zheng placed third in the High School Wind Challenge division. Their custom-designed turbine generated 99.3 joules of energy in 30 seconds, earning the team a $100 prize.

During the competition, Ochieng and Aaron Zheng presented the turbine’s engineering data to Google sponsors.

McLean juniors Akshay Sudhakar and Amine Malouche took second place in the solar division. The pair designed a project that uses solar panels to power a model space station on Mars.

The hands-on STEM competition challenged thousands of students to design and test working renewable-energy systems.

Related coverage

Virginia sales tax holiday returns Aug. 7–9
Virginia’s three-day sales tax holiday will run from Friday, Aug. 7, through Sunday, Aug. 9, giving shoppers a temporary exemption on qualifying school supplies, clothing, footwear,...
Business / Fairfax / August 6, 2026
Former Virginia Sen. Janet Howell, longtime Tysons-area representative, dies at 82
Former Virginia state Sen. Janet Howell, who represented Tysons and neighboring Fairfax and Arlington communities for more than three decades, has died at 82, according to reports...
Civic Desk / Tysons / August 3, 2026
McLean Leads Bright MLS Region in Luxury-Home Sales During Q2
McLean’s 22101 ZIP code recorded the highest number of luxury-home sales in the Bright MLS service region during the second quarter of 2026, according to Bright MLS data.
Local / McLean / August 3, 2026
Paul Thomas nominated to succeed John Carter on Hunter Mill Planning Commission
Walter Alcorn plans to recommend lifelong Restonian Paul Thomas as the Fairfax County Planning Commission representative for Hunter Mill District, following John Carter’s announcement...
Civic Desk / Reston / August 3, 2026
TJ Students Build Tool to Track School Board Decisions
Students at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology have launched Civic Cycle, a free web application designed to help residents follow local school board meetings.
Schools / Arlington / August 3, 2026