Chris Bolton — a chemistry, engineering and physics teacher at the Verde Valley School — was thinking of projects for the STEAM [Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics] Club to work on. It was at that point that Bolton was approached by VVS spanish teacher John Sheedy with an interesting idea.
Sheedy asked Bolton what he would think about the possibility of developing a bicycle-powered cinema for VVS. The idea appealed to Bolton and the STEM Club, so at that point, they went to work on the project.
The project is approximately two weeks away from being completed.
“We started on the process — we researched power generation and figured out voltage needs,” Bolton said. “It’s three bicycles and we put them up on recreational spinner stands. The back tire is off of the ground and there’s a roller behind the back wheel that gets turned.
“We fit a generator,” he added. “The sparks make electricity. We have to wire that to a [car] battery. The battery wants to turn the mechanism. We have to use a diode to make it flow in the right direction.”
The bicycles being used are recycled. Bolton also said that Village Car Care helped the process along by donating car batteries. A total of six kids are presently working on the project. Others were a part of it, too, but due to COVID-19 restrictions they have had their involvement limited as time has gone on.
When the bike-powered cinema is finished, a movie will be shown using the new equipment. Bolton doesn’t yet know which film will be shown, opting to leave the idea up to Sheedy. He did say that it will be bicycle-themed.
Eventually, Bolton hopes that this project will turn into a working cinema for the people at VVS to enjoy.
“We have to see how well it works and how the equipment holds up,” Bolton said. “The setup we’re using to generate power can be used with a windmill, water well or anything that spins. We’re hoping to use the technology from this process for other renewable energy lessons that we might do here on campus.”
That’s something about this project and VVS in general that has been appealing to Bolton.
“It’s my second year at VVS, and I’m really amazed at how the school is dedicated to getting students involved in hands-on projects and the effort to make everything we do sustainable,” he said. “This project went hand-in-hand. We’ve basically taken the best of what we do and put it together in this project.”
