2003 Youth Awards Projects

Tennessee Primary Level
National SCHOOL OF THE YEAR
Huntingdon Primary School

Tennessee Elementary Level
NATIONAL FINALIST
Caywood Elementary School
162 Monroe Avenue
Lexington, TN 38351
(731) 968-8457
www.caywood.org
Project Title: Saving ENERGY Today for a Better Tomorrow
Project Advisers: Amanda Hayes and Gerrianne Mayfield
Student Directors: Sunny Lomax, Andrew Morris, Evan Ozier, and Morgan Woods

This year the Caywood Conservers expanded from nine to fourteen students, and we’ve accomplished more than before! WLJT TV/Channel 11 televised our energy interview several times. We performed energy conservation skits for the Lexington Rotary and for children ranging in age from four to twelve. We broadcast conservation tips over the radio. We have an on-going program that recycles aluminum cans, batteries, and ink cartridges. We sponsored a newspaper drive, collecting over 6,000 tons of newspapers! We are working with Mayor Bennie Scott on an Adopt-a-Highway program, and we placed over 272 fluorescent light bulbs into the homes of the elderly or disabled.
We spread the news of energy conservation through both local newspapers, the Lexington Progress and the Henderson County News. We set up a display at our local Big Star, where we demonstrated fluorescent light bulbs. We also distributed a great deal of literature on energy conservation and gave away free energy wise materials. We met, photographed, and discussed energy conservation ideas with Governor Bredesen at the Capitol! We traveled to Jackson, TN, to participate in the Jackson Environmental Fair, where we demonstrated energy conservation tips for fifth graders. We attended an awards ceremony in Nashville, TN, for our participation in this year’s school and community projects.

Tennessee Elementary Level
Robert E. Lee Elementary School
313 Layne Street
Tullahoma, TN 37388
(931) 454-2637
www.tullahomacityschools.net
Project Title: Let’s Economize Energy – Teaching and Reaching Others
Project Advisers: Sherry Roepke and Kathy Hagler
Student Directors: Natalie Rayfield and Olivia Norfleet

We are the Robert E. Lee Energy Team. We have accomplished so much this year. We conducted experiments from the NEED Science of Energy Kit and performed them for our school and parents. The experiments were about solar power, electricity, chemical energy, and kinetic energy. We raised money to buy an Alternative Fuel House for our local museum, Hands On Science Center, with car washes and an Applebee’s Pancake Breakfast. At our Applebee’s Pancake Breakfast, we put energy tips at the people’s places. Another thing we did was spread mulch for a park our city is creating.
In October, we had one of our members write a letter to our Mayor, asking if October could be proclaimed “Energy Awareness Month.” He wrote back, and now October is “Energy Awareness Month.” At Christmas time, we built a float about how to save energy in town, and we won first place! When two of our members won the placemat contest, we passed out all the placemats to local restaurants and other places.
We accomplished many things, and we hope to do much more. We are looking forward to the many challenges that lie ahead of us.

Tennessee Junior Level
Mountain View Elementary School
145 County Road 627
Etowah, TN 37331
(423) 263-2498
Project Title: ENERGY: Lights Your Future
Project Adviser: Becky Riley
Student Directors: Joseph Riley, Matt Aderhold, Matthew Crabtree, Taylor Hafley, and Sara Bryson

This year our Energy Club set out to educate ourselves, our families, our school, and the community about the importance of energy. Our annual Energy War was an exciting way for students to learn about energy. The War is an energy quiz bowl between local schools formatted to resemble a TV game show. The area newspaper, which serves over 14,000 customers, covered the event. Afterwards, we received positive reviews from students, teachers, parents, and other members of the community.
The energy DVD we produced was a very effective means of spreading our message. We incorporated club pictures with contemporary music to create a way of teaching others about energy. We have shown our DVD to students, parents, and community leaders. The local TV station, which has an audience of around 500,000, has also used it.
We reached the students of our school through our kids teaching kids program and our student body recycled over two tons of aluminum cans. We were able to share with Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist our ideas for the nation’s energy future. Our Club President discussed with him the possibility of hydrogen as an alternative to Middle East oil. He even mentioned some of our ideas in a speech.

Tennessee Special Category
National Special Category
Walters State Community College

TEXAS
Texas Elementary Level
NATIONAL FINALIST
A. W. Jackson Elementary School
301 Third Street
Rosenberg, TX 77471
(281) 341-3300
www.lcisd.org
Project Title: JETS Remain Energized through 2005
Project Advisers: Doris Tomas and Connie Whithonth
Student Directors: Krysta Lopez, Lori Lowrey, and David Rendon

Being a Jackson Energy Team Saver (JETS) is an energizing experience. Throughout the 2004-2005 school year the JETS participated in many exciting activities and programs. JETS implemented their first school-wide Recycling Program this year. The JETS hosted an Energy Camp for students from three elementary schools. Students took part in energy activities including Energy Bingo, Dum-Dum-Dada Song, UV Bead Lab, Energy Round-Up, and Rock Energy Concert.
The JETS hosted an Energy Carnival with the Book Fair to raise energy awareness. The carnival was open to all Jackson students and their families. Carnival attendees could visit booths operated by JETS and watch energy chants performed on stage by second grade students.
Several energy presenters visited to engage students. Second through fifth graders received water distillation packets after learning about water conservation. Third through fifth graders participated in an Energy Circus where a presenter from the Houston Museum of Science conducted a variety of science experiments. A speaker from Exxon Mobil exhibited items that were created from petroleum.
The JETS promoted fundraisers and activities to involve students and their families in energy appreciation. During Valentine’s Day, JETS sold heart-shaped lollipops and messages. The JETS also hosted an Energy Coloring Contest where students competed to win spending money at the school store.

VIRGINIA
Virginia Elementary Level
Thaxton Elementary School
1081 Monorail Circle
Thaxton, VA 24174
(540) 586-3821
www.bedford.k12.va.us/tes/
Project Title: Thaxton NEED Team
Project Adviser: Viola Henry
Student Director: Kara Harrison

The 2004-2005 Thaxton NEED Team’s goals were to teach students in our school about the different forms of energy, where the energy comes from and how we change it into forms we can use; to work with local government agencies to educate the community on ways to save energy; and to do projects in the community and surrounding areas that help people know more about Thaxton NEED projects and goals.
We did a variety of school and community projects this year. Some of the projects included a school and community aluminum can drive; a mixed paper recycling project with City of Bedford Solid Waste Department; Cartridges for Kids, where we recycled ink cartridges and cell phones for tsunami victims; the Ronald McDonald House pop tab program, where all monies raised provide a home-away-from-home for families of seriously ill people in hospitals in the Roanoke area; and American Red Cross conservation-energy placemats. We also participated in the Virginia State Energy Fair, the Virginia Tech/Association of Energy Conservation Professionals Energy Fair, the James Madison University 2005 Energy Symposium, and the Bedford Christmas Parade. We visited Lynchburg College’s Claytor Nature Center, completed Primary Energy Saving Planeteer Badges, and announced energy tips on a Bedford radio station.

West Virginia
West Virginia Elementary Level
New Martinsville School
20 East Benjamin Drive
New Martinsville, WV 26155
(304) 455-2291, ext. 113
http://newmartinsville.wetz.k12.wv.us
Project Title: Shocking! Electrifying! NEED Kids!
Project Adviser: Linda Fonner
Student Directors: Alanna Fox, Anna Haught, and Chase Croasmun

We started learning about energy in science class. We learned about energy forms and transformations. We taught each other about energy sources. We played games and sang songs about conserving energy. We learned about and taught each other about alternate fuels, and then we made fuel posters. Our relatives and friends came in twice to learn about energy. They came for Electricity Night where we did a laser disc energy mystery together, and then we made human circuits with an energy ball. A month later, they came in and watched our energy skits and songs. That was really fun!
In Energy Club, we taught kindergarten students about magnets. We made sailboats and tested them using wind energy from a fan. We tested solar beads with different sunscreens on them to see which sunscreen works best. A big thing we did was the Energy Hog Challenge. We did home surveys with our parents, made graphs, and explored the Energy Hog website and the EIA Kids Page. We helped deliver Earth Day shirts to 72 different people! We had fun playing games like Energy Squares and Energy Family Feud. Energy is awesome!