Big things can happen even in small towns when small projects are undertaken by strong leaders…here’s the story of how a couple of solar seeds took root in Illinois…the after school club is not what it used to be as you’ll see…
Story submitted by Katie Kizer. Warren and Apple River, IL
Perceptions of after-school clubs tend to range depending on the nature of the organization, the individuals involved, their respective motivation to encourage productivity, and the personality of the school itself. The traditional understanding of these organizations is that students can join a group of personal interest to them and feel an extended sense of community beyond everyday classes.
One could argue that after-school clubs have a certain substandard reputation in American society when it comes to the “cool†thing for students to do within our public schools. Attempting to demonstrate this point with examples would be counterproductive based on the previously mentioned relativity. I do, however, argue that the face of these clubs has begun to change at the local level, specifically in the Warren Community Schools.
There are also those clubs and organizations which often credit their high turnout and competition among leadership to the pressure to be in good standing on the pages of college applications. What I want to bring to light is that a new generation of card-carrying members of school clubs has surfaced, and it is far from the cliché standard of student council and formal dance committees. In the Warren Community School District #205, an Energy Club has emerged, headed by Pam Phelps, and it has been generating a new breed of student activists.
With the assistance of the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation, the Foundation for Environmental Education, Commonwealth Edison, and the National Energy Education and Development project (NEED), two solar installations have been carried out at two different schools in the district.
Warren Elementary has a 1KW Photovoltaic system.
Apple River Middle School uses a 2KW system.
These two installations represent one large project that has changed the approach to learning among the members of both the Energy Club and science classes. According to Gail Heidenreich, Secretary at Apple River Middle School, these solar PV systems have allowed the “kids to learn a lot, but they are also teaching others what they have learned.†At such young ages, it is wonderfully refreshing to see students embracing renewable energy and even taking an interest in teaching others about what they have discovered.
In a district with a general population of less than 2,000 people, all it takes is one movement of individuals, regardless of age, to turn to one another and start a discussion about saving energy. This can affect each and every person in a community, especially in one such as Warren where education is so highly valued.
Once such a discussion has transpired, learning and inspiration to teach others supercedes the formal education process. This is because the message of helping the environment can transcend both grade levels and even school walls into the general community. Warren, Apple River, and the Energy Club that unites these schools are fundamental building blocks of this progression.
A major element of the mission as stated by Warren School District #205 is that they “believe that education is a combined effort of home, school, and community; and that all students have the capability to learn.†These solar school projects epitomize this message based on the positive repercussions that have been relayed by the faculty and community.
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Tuesday, September 4th, 2007 at
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Illinois, Perspectives, Teacher Perspective .
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