A Bright Future for 250 Students Getting Solar Lessons
TXU Energy and NEED help Brighten the Future for FBISD Students
On Tuesday, May 20, 250 Fort Bend Independent School District (FBISD) students participated in TXU Energy Solar Academy Solarbration hosted at the FBISD Administrative Building. The students, along with FBISD’s Chief Academic Officer Dr. Owen Herron, cut the ribbon (with really big scissors) for the new TXU Energy Solar Academy donated 1kw photovoltaic system installed on district grounds near the athletic stadium.
After cutting the ribbon, fifth and sixth grade students worked alongside TXU Energy staff and Melanie Harper, NEED’s workshop facilitator for the TXU Energy Solar Academy. Students explored Solar cars, solar ovens baking chocolate chip cookies, and sun sensitive nail polish too! These items are usually found in a classroom – but, for kids involved in the TXU Energy Solar Academy in Sugar Land, Texas it’s not a typical day of class! The hands-on kits and materials designed by the National Energy Education Development (NEED) Project, TXU Energy’s education partner for the Solar Academy, are fun, engaging, and help teachers and students meet the expectations of the TEKS. Students learn about solar in science, math, language arts, and social studies.
Students and teachers also access data reported from FBISD’s first web-enabled solar installation. The panel, which was donated by TXU Energy, allows teachers and students to enjoy unique research and analysis lessons throughout the school year. Check out FBISD’s solar power!
The TXU Energy Solar Academy, part of a nationally recognized renewable energy education program, helps Texas teachers and students integrate energy education into their classroom and community activities. The program provides teacher training, hands-on kits and curriculum, and a 1-kW web-enabled solar installation to participating customer school districts and educational institutions across Texas. Since launching in 2008, 33 participating school districts and educational institutions have received their donated installation, and over 2,100 teachers and administrators have been trained and are using the TEKS aligned curriculum, reaching approximately 350,000 students per year. The program will eventually include up to 40 school districts, providing training to over to 3,000 educators across Texas.
