Start Your Engines: Our Students Take the Spotlight at the APEX Community Grand Prix

Rasheedah Ladd, CIA

9 hours ago

2 min read

Race week is coming to Las Vegas — and this year, our students are in the middle of it.

The Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix takes over the Strip November 19–21, 2026. On race day, Saturday, November 21, it's our students' turn: Code E Locs leads the East Las Vegas class of the APEX20 Future Engineers Academy, and our class joins young engineers from across the city for the APEX Community Grand Prix — the Academy's race-week finale, and a celebration of what Las Vegas youth can build, code, and engineer.

What Is the APEX Community Grand Prix?

The APEX20 Future Engineers Academy gives students hands-on experience in engineering, design, and technology — including designing and building their own model race cars. Code E Locs leads the Academy's East Las Vegas class — a dedicated class we run in addition to our regular Saturday coding classes — and its students have been designing, building, and coding their entries. The Community Grand Prix is where it all comes together: a public showcase where students present the projects they built, coded, and engineered, headlined by student-built race finals.

Student innovation. Real-world impact. That's the whole point.

Families, educators, and community members are invited to come see the next generation of Las Vegas engineers show their work.

Event Details

APEX Community Grand Prix

Date: Saturday, November 21, 2026
Time: 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Location: 1001 N C St, Las Vegas, NV 89106
What to expect: Student-built race finals, coding and engineering showcases, and innovation projects from APEX20 Future Engineers Academy students

The event is presented with the APEX20 Future Engineers Academy and partners including the Strong Future Technology Training Center, the City of Las Vegas, and the Tomorrow's Stars Foundation.

Why This Matters

At Code E Locs, kids don't just learn about technology — they build with it. Our students learn HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and AI by creating real projects, and more than 500 Las Vegas kids have learned to code with us, free.

Events like the APEX Community Grand Prix put that learning on a bigger stage. When a student watches a car they designed and built compete in a race final — during the biggest racing weekend of the year, in their own city — engineering stops being abstract. It becomes theirs.

That's why we do this. Learn. Build. Create.

Keep the Momentum Going: Free Saturday Coding Classes

The Grand Prix is one day. The learning continues every week. The East Las Vegas APEX20 class is a dedicated class that meets in addition to our regular classes — and our regular Saturday coding classes stay free and open to every young person who wants to learn.

Code E Locs offers free coding classes for youth ages 6–17 every Saturday — no experience needed, and no cost, ever.

When: Saturdays, 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Where: East Las Vegas Community Center, 250 N Eastern Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89101
Who: Youth ages 6–17
What: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, AI, and real projects students build themselves