Gateway High School
By Stephanie Ghertner
Gateway High School is a San Francisco public charter school serving approximately 450 students in grades 9-12. Designated as a California Distinguished School, Gateway was one of only two San Francisco Unified District High Schools to receive the award in 2007. In just over 10 years of existence, the school has demonstrated success in providing quality education to urban teens, and its distinguished staff deserves a great deal of credit.
One faculty member who has made a large impact is Will Parish. A modern day Renaissance man, Mr. Parish came to Gateway eight years ago, after a long and varied career as an attorney, entrepreneur, alternative energy advocate, and more. Not to mention, he’s a flight instructor and author (check out his adventure book “Around the World in a Jeep!â€). As the Environmental Science teacher at Gateway, Mr. Parish brings a fresh perspective into the classroom, inspiring a new generation of leaders who will draft future environmental policies that will ultimately be responsible for saving our world.
Using innovative activities and hands-on experiences, Mr. Parish brings the topic of renewable energy out of the textbook and into the classroom. Students don’t simply read about how solar energy powers electricity; they see it first-hand. Mr. Parish and his students built a “solar charging closet,†a recharging station (and yes, it is an old-fashioned closet) where students can recharge batteries, cell-phones, iPods, and other devices using a solar-powered electricity system. The system uses solar panels to collect sunlight that is then converted to electricity stored in two large batteries outside the classroom. Once charged, the batteries are brought into the closet and connected to an inverter that provides the electricity to power up to 40 outlets in the closet. Educational AND useful. Pretty neat!
On the playground, solar activity is abundant. The “solar power house†that sits next to the basketball courts has multiple purposes, acting as both a meeting place for students and a model for energy efficiency. Within its walls, one can watch renewable energy at work – there’s even a solar thermal energy system that uses the sun to heat water! On some sunny days, the “solar snack shack” attracts students to its counter to enjoy “solar smoothies” (the blenders are run by solar electricity!) Also nearby is a 1 kilowatt solar generation system, accompanied by an online monitoring tool that provides real-time data on the system’s activity and amount of electricity generated. The photovoltaic system, donated by PG&E, was installed in Spring 2009, and will be incorporated into the environmental science curriculum this year.
Gateway’s environmental efforts have received a great deal of recognition, thanks in large part to the school’s dedication to raising environmental awareness and to the students’ enthusiasm. Recycling bins dot the halls, compost boxes – worms included – sit outside, garden boxes of edible greens and other plants rest nearby, and a student “Team Green†club organizes campus activities. There’s simply no escaping the school’s greening initiatives. And that’s a very good thing. It’s fantastic for Gateway students and families, teachers and staff, friends and visitors, the community and the planet.
At Gateway, students are exposed to demonstrations of environmental protection and renewable energy inside and outside the classroom. Whether they participate in energy generation experiments in Mr. Parish’s environmental science course or notice the solar house’s photovoltaic panels during break, Gateway students are learning important lessons about sustainability. The result is not only a product of Mr. Parish’s contagious passion for environmental education but also a testament to Gateway’s commitment to innovative approaches to academics.