Getting your own project
So you want your school
to have a solar energy graph
on this site? To do that, your
school needs to have a solar
energy system. How do you get
a solar energy system for your
school? AEP and its partners
didn't really know, either,
until we got the first one
going at Bluffsview Elementary
in Worthington, Ohio, near
Columbus. We made some mistakes,
learned from them, and have
written down the basic steps
so anyone can join our School
projects program.
Putting together a solar
project requires a lot of support
from parents, teachers, principals,
members of the school board
and others. If you are a student,
be sure to talk to your teachers
and parents. Have them contact
AEP, the Foundation for Environmental
Education or Energy Management
Corporation and we can help
them through the process.
Below are some ideas about
how to get started.
1. Check out the Bluffsview
video at the beginning of the
School projects section. Send
a message to the Foundation
for Environmental Education to
request a copy of the video.
Or call Glen Kizer at 614-470-0435.
You will receive a free, eight-minute
VHS tape in which you hear
from school officials, teachers,
students and other people connected
to the project. The tape will
be mailed to you.
2. Schools are finding that
the concepts learned using
information in Learning from
Light! is helping in other
areas, too. Make sure your
principal and school board
sees the
letter written by Bluffsview
School in Worthington, Ohio,
about how using Learning from
Light! helped students improve
their math proficiency scores.
If you have questions about
anything, e-mail one of the
people listed in the School
Project contacts section.
3. Ask your principal to
send an e-mail to the Foundation
for Environmental Education,
the Energy
Management Corporation (EMC),
and to AEP.
Let us know that you want to
join our School projects Program.
4. Someone from AEP, the
Foundation, or EMC will come
out and talk to your school
or the School Board or wherever
we need to go to explain the
next steps. We can bring handouts
and information sheets and
answer questions.
5. Ask a local bank to handle
contributions from students,
parents and businesses. It
seems to work better if the
bank is located in your town.
People seem to worry about
funds being mailed out of town.
Ask the bank for a small donation
to open the account.
6. It will help if your Superintendent
of Schools sends home a letter
with all students in your school
district explaining the project
and how everyone will be able
to learn about energy and how
solar electricity is made.
You should try to get a lot
of donations because a project
will cost between $15,000 and
$20,000. The Superintendent
or someone from the school
board needs to write the letter
and ask the parents for a donation
or a pledge. If every family
gives $20 you should be able
to make it. Because your school
will actually buy the project,
businesses might be willing
to give a lot more, since they
might be able to get a tax
deduction. A pledge drive might
work even better. This sample
letter from the Worthington
Schools Superintendent asks
parents to sign a pledge and
give the form back to their
kids to return to the teacher.
7. Consider forming organizations
such as Partners for the Bluffsview
Project. The foundation can
help with this. Local Grange
Mutual agents, local AEP representatives
and a host of others could
be available to you to help
you get started.
8. Local newspapers, radio
and TV might want to help.
A local college could be a
good partner. Any federal or
state agency might want to
help as well.
9. The Foundation and AEP
will help your teachers with
educational support material/curricula.
There's already some good stuff
they can use right from this
Web site. It will be fun and
easy, and you can do it. You
just have to get started. Call
or e-mail us, and we will help
you.
10. Once your school gets
close to making solar electricity
and your school district buys
power from AEP, the district
will have to fill out a waiver,
like the one for Worthington,
so AEP can follow the laws
and regulations in your state.
This may sound like a lot
of work. You may not be sure
who will help you. Think of
AEP, the Foundation, and EMC
as your guides through the
wilderness. These partners
will help give you the tools
to start a solar energy project
at your school. You can do
it!
