The entire freshmen class at Danbury High School went outside Tuesday and set up their solar collectors.
They'd spent a week learning about solar power, about using solar heaters to help purify water in Africa, about absorbing heat and reflecting heat.
Beth Frost, a freshman science teacher, said the students were taking temperature readings every five minutes. Almost all students saw their water temperature rise.
"We were hoping to engage them by putting into practice some of the principles they were learning," Frost said.
Their goal Tuesday was to heat water and maybe make smores. One obstacle was the hazy sky.
"The black paper absorbs the heat. The light colors reflect the heat," said Keven Lopes, who was a teammate with Kevin Sousa. The pair saw the water in their cat food can go from 73 degrees to 100 in about 20 minutes. Their collector used reflectors at the base and on the sides in a box they cut open.
Sousa, 14, said their open design might have had a disadvantage Tuesday because of the cool breeze.
Other students used different shapes and designs, including umbrellas lined with aluminum foil and satellite dishes lined with foil. Many students lined a sealed box with aluminum foil and wrapped the outside with black paper. They sealed the open box top with plastic wrap.
"If it was 100 degrees outside, I personally think we would have the advantage. The box kind-of has the advantage today because if the wind blows, it doesn't cool off," Sousa said.
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