Thomas Jefferson Middle School

Thomas Jefferson Middle School 

Thanks to support from Clark Public Utilities Green Lights Customers, Solar 4R Schools managed the installation of a 12 kW solar photovoltaic system on Thomas Jefferson Middle School's play structure to supply the school with clean, renewable energy and a real-world learning opportunity. Educators at the school received a customized renewable energy teacher training from Solar 4R Schools in 2016, complete with hands-on science kit materials to augment the school's existing curricula, and complete access to the resources available on the Solar4RSchools.org website. A total of 15 teachers attended the workshop, representing subjects from English to STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), and anticipate reaching over 800 students in one year. Teachers at this workshop were creative with the supplies at their school to create unique solar ovens and investigated the effectiveness of several designs; many of which successfully melted crayons. One team even baked a chocolate chip cookie! Later in the day, educators built solar cars, designing cars for a survival scenario. Everyone had the opportunity to meet with the solar installers from Synchro Solar, who shared a little bit about the PV system as it they were wiring the School's actual PV system and preparing to install the solar modules the very next day! A Clark Public Utilities representative joined the teachers in the morning and shared a little information about the utility and about local renewable energy projects.