OHIO PRIMARY LEVEL
Annehurst Elementary School
925 West Main Street
Westerville, OH 43081
(614) 797-7000
www.westerville.k12.oh.us/annehurst
Project Title: Annehurst All-Stars…Energized!
Project Adviser: Erica Layne
Student Directors: Darby Holman and Christopher Lytus
Our study of energy was divided into three areas. In the classroom, we explored what energy is and how we use it every day.
Around Annehurst, we hosted “Louie, Louie”. This helped us learn how to be safe around electricity. We also began a service project that taught us about energy consumption around the world.
We were also challenged to spread what we had learned throughout the community. Several students created posters to show ways that we can conserve energy.
OHIO ELEMENTARY LEVEL
NATIONAL SCHOOL OF THE YEAR
Three Rivers Middle School
OHIO JUNIOR LEVEL
NATIONAL FINALIST
Heritage Middle School
390 North Spring Road
Westerville, OH 43082
(614) 797-6600
www.westerville.k12.oh.us/heritage
Project Title: The Generators
Project Adviser: Debbie Pellington
Student Directors: Sarah McCarty, Glen Gainer and Allie Mellinger
This year the Generators were an energizing force behind the Heritage Middle School energy team. We chose to undertake activities that generated energy information throughout the school, home and Westerville community. The Generators chose energy leadership and knowledge activities as the focus of our team.
Energy leadership activities began with an energy leadership summit, where the Generators practiced leadership skills and participated in energy activities. To meet our energy goals, we facilitated such activities as hosting an energy fair at a local elementary school, training sixth grade leaders (who later taught the sixth grade science classes about the Energy Bike and forms of energy) about the Energy Bike, conducting home lighting surveys and home energy education, and sponsoring an energy education day at a local restaurant where customers used student-made energy placemats while members of the energy team hosted an energy education table outside the restaurant for customers.
Students even spent a day of their spring break at a local grocery store educating shoppers about energy topics. Speakers, field trips and our own energy activities increased our energy knowledge and enabled the Generators to successfully generate an abundance of energy information.
OHIO SENIOR LEVEL
NATIONAL FINALIST
William Henry Harrison High School
9860 West Road
Harrison, OH 45030
(513) 367-4169
www.southwestschools.org
Project Title: HOPE (Harrison, Ohio Project Energy)
Project Adviser: Steve Brickner
Student Directors: Samantha Schaeper and Abi Wiwi
The William Henry Harrison High School Ohio Energy Project (OEP) group found that few people even knew that there were different types of energy. With this disappointing information, we thought of what we could do to educate the community about energy and how to conserve it. We started our project for energy after becoming involved with OEP on our trip to the Energy Summit in Troy, Ohio.
We went to elementary schools and churches and performed at events for school kids and their parents. On top of our performances of the different types of energy and our games that demonstrated the types of energy, we designed a pamphlet to distribute at the local Bigg’s grocery store and “Daily Energy Fun Sheets” to distribute at the local public library to get our message to the general public.
Using before and after tests to estimate if our information was sinking in to our audience, we found that the majority of our audiences did have improved test scores after they received our information.
Our group is confident that our attempts to educate the community made a difference. We expect people to use our information, especially with the country being so worried about the current energy problems.
OHIO SPECIAL CATEGORY
NATIONAL FINALIST
Westerville City Schools
313 South Otterbein Avenue
Westerville, OH 43081
(614) 797-6816
www.westerville.k12.oh.us
Project Title: Westerville Energy Education Partnership
Project Adviser: Chris Doolittle
Student Director: Hannah Wilson
Westerville City Schools, the Westerville Electric Division, the City of Westerville, and the Ohio Energy Project (OEP) continue a multifaceted approach to energy awareness and education that reaches 100 percent of our schools, with a total of 23 buildings (elementary, middle, and high), and our community.
The City of Westerville and the Westerville Electric Division are committed to helping the schools with energy education by providing funding. OEP provides training and ongoing support for teachers and students. Materials from NEED are used to assist with lessons and instruction.
We start by training both first and second grade teachers at a one-day workshop. Once school begins, we train high school student leaders from all three high schools. These high school students host an Energy Fair for fifth graders from all 16 elementary schools. These elementary students pass these activities and training on to other grade levels within their buildings. We also hold a middle school Energy Summit. At this program, cadres of students from all four middle schools are trained very much like the high school students. These student leaders teach other middle school students in their buildings.
The “students teaching students” model continues to be effective and exciting for our district at all levels. This collaborative program helps us to create a strong energy conscious community.
OHIO SPECIAL CATEGORY
NATIONAL ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
New Albany-Plain Local Schools
87 North High Street
New Albany, OH 43054
Project Title: Generating Energy at New Albany
Project Advisers: Ron Whitacre and Kirsten Jaster
Student Directors: Eliza Matt, Kyle O’Hara, Jenny Ng, Tori Wallace and Jason Bosley
It is our hope as educators to reach the spirit of the learned through hands-on interactions with the world around them. By utilizing NEED’s curriculum through the Ohio Energy Project (OEP), workshops and the Energy Bike, we are able to generate excitement in learning energy. Whether it is through conservation of resources and recycling, energy circuit boards to stimulate learning, or the popularity of the Energy Bike and its multitude of teaching applications, New Albany School District is committed to engaging the learners of today and preparing them to be life-long learners of tomorrow.
We are taking a district approach to learning and developing our learners into energy smart consumers and leaders of tomorrow. By encouraging a kids teaching kids approach, our students gain the highest level of learning. This unique approach to programming allows students to share their expertise and enthusiasm for energy lessons. We continue to change and evolve our curriculum to meet the needs of every student. We are thankful for program support that OEP provides for teachers in Ohio. Education is no longer contained within the walls of our building, but is instead reaching out into the communities and city that support all members as learners.
We look forward to continuing our partnership with NEED, OEP and the greater Columbus community.
RHODE ISLAND JUNIOR LEVEL
Park View Middle School
25 Park View Boulevard
Cranston, RI 02910
(401) 270-8090
http://cpsed.net/pview
Project Title: PV NEED Cougars
Project Advisers: Sheila Hopkins, Joanne Spaziano and Nancy DeCosta
Student Directors: Charlotte Paquette, Gina Perrotta, Wilman Gramajo, Samira Keo and Davy Morl
This year we began recruiting new members before school started at the sixth grade hot dog roast. One of our teachers presented NEED activities at the Home Schooling Association in Massachusetts in September. Our teachers worked at the Rhode Island Energy Expo in October with Energy Hog. At our open house, a representative from National Grid came to give away CFLs and to have people sign the ENERGY STAR® “Change a Light, Change the World” Pledge. Over 200 people signed that night.
We conducted elementary, middle school and English as a Second Language (ESL) conferences for over 200 students and their teachers. We conducted fundraising drives to benefit our community Thanksgiving Drive and made a donation in memory of Jean Tisser, a teacher in our community who recently lost her battle with breast cancer. We presented the Museum of Solid Waste and Energy and will be present again at Earth Day activities at the Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence. We will be present at the ESL Family Night to conduct various NEED activities. Finally, we used newsletters in school and through our school website and school family newsletters to reach 1,000 families directly and over 5,000 people in our community indirectly through various activities.
RHODE ISLAND SENIOR LEVEL
Scituate High School
94 Trimtown Road
Scituate, RI 02857
(401) 647-4120
www.scituatehighschool.com
Project Title: Scituate High School NEED Project: Saving Energy, Improving Our Future
Project Adviser: Shannon Donovan
Student Directors: Ryan Flynn and Melysa Faria
In our efforts this year, we continued working on our goals of increasing awareness about renewable energy and energy efficiency in our community. We participated in many activities to help prepare ourselves for this task. We visited a wind turbine, attended the Rhode Island Sustainable Living Festival and Renewable Energy Expo, attended workshops on fuel cell and solar powered cars, and participated in leadership training activities. We shared what we learned through a huge event that we organized—Energy Night. We created a newsletter for middle school students and have begun meeting with them to build cars for the Junior Solar Sprint and to start a middle school NEED club.
