Story written by Katie Kizer

One of the most basic relationships in our world is that of a garden and its photosynthetic bond with the sun. Recently, the sun and its blooming kin have taken on an entirely new purpose at St. Monica Academy in Chicago: to power. The Chicago Botanic Garden has joined forces with this flagship school to introduce an initiative to create an entirely green curriculum at St. Monica’s, including a solar installation. St. Monica owes its “Academy” classification to this alliance, as it was awarded by the Archdiocese of Chicago for a “ground-breaking educational initiative,” otherwise known as SEEDS, Student Environmental Education and Development Studies. Developed by the Chicago Botanic Garden and implemented by St. Monica’s, SEEDS is a unique curriculum designed to incorporate “environmental, project-based studies throughout all subjects and grades.” In other words, lesson plans of varying subjects are infused with environmental science and green awareness; a movement that is light-years ahead of its sister schools.

The solar project at St. Monica Academy was also made possible with the assistance of Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation, Commonwealth Edison, NEED, and the Foundation for Environmental Education. It is a 1 KW solar PV installation on the roof, and it is used to supplement some of the daily energy use. The bonus of these solar installations is that not only are they providing surrounding communities with a positive example of how to utilize green technologies, but the children within the school are growing up with these lessons about renewable energies. They are able to be a part of something that many grown-ups in our world will never experience: watching the actual process in which a solar photovoltaic array captures sunlight and brings it into the classroom. I am confident that I can speak on behalf of all my 21 year-old peers when I say that this experience is way cooler than any build-it-yourself battery project that we ever conducted in junior high science class.

Solar energy is not the only positive contribution that St. Monica’s has made to our Mother Earth. The school is also actively redesigning much of its campus in more efficient and renewable ways. This includes replacing the black pavement with pervious or high albedo pavement, which will allow for less storm water runoff and air conditioning use. This is because of the lightweight nature of the new pavement and its ability to lower surrounding temperatures. St. Monica also plans to plant an extensive amount of new vegetation on the grounds, everywhere from the play areas to sidewalks and the new “Green Roof” which also reduces storm water runoff and increases insulation of the building. The school will also be constructing two new greenhouses, an urban farm within which the students can interact and participate, a native habitat area where wildlife can flourish and individuals can learn about these processes, and many more exciting developments.

The Chicago Botanic Garden played such a critical role in the “greening” of St. Monica both in regards to the physical campus and in the classroom. In fact, none of this would have been possible without the organization’s contribution. The SEEDS curriculum is revolutionary for a private school such as St. Monica, as it is acting as a pilot school for future possible green schools within the Archdiocese of Chicago. Sophia Siskel, the President and CEO of the Chicago Botanic Garden, hopes that SEEDS “provides inspiration and guidance for schools throughout the Archdiocese and beyond.” Additionally, a woman named Anna Viertel of the Chicago Botanic Garden discusses the benefits of the SEEDS curriculum and accompanying ‘green’ renovations. “Time spent working in the school’s gardens and greenhouses will cultivate practical, vocational skills to enrich students’ lives and the lives of their families and communities. By creating an awareness of the world they will inherit, we are preparing them to succeed in it.”

My experiences in writing stories about these projects always differ depending on the level of excitement on behalf of the people involved. After all, such excitement is contagious when you’re talking about such inventive technology. When I conducted my first interview for this piece with a woman named Elaine Harrison, Director of Communications, I was reminded how important this work truly is. I was moved by Elaine’s incredible passion about her work and the great progress that St. Monica has made. She and the rest of the hardworking faculty at St. Monica have such enthusiasm for making the world a better place that I have walked away with a greater sense of self-efficacy and the confidence that this generation will continue to promote green technology into the future.

By Katie Kizer, intern at the Foundation for Environmental Education

The saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” may need to be revised to something along the lines of, “If it ain’t broke, that doesn’t mean we can’t make it better” at St. Rita of Cascia High, a college preparatory school for young men located on Chicago’s South Side. The school has been actively working towards advancing its technology within classrooms.  They are working to create a state of the art science wing which will allow for more fruitful learning, including the incorporation of solar PV panels.  A project to install a 1 kW system at St. Rita was recently completed and will allow for faculty members such as Sue Krystof to design classroom lessons around observation of the solar collectors and data collection.  She teaches courses ranging from AP Chemistry to both regular and Honors Physics.  Sue explains how she is going to have her class “hook up to get data so we could measure temperature changes and to monitor the efficiency of the solar collectors.  Then each class would take a week to collect the data.”  It is an exciting development when a science class can not only witness such advanced technology, but interact and learn from it.

Assistant Principal Joe Partacz comments about the school’s outlook on modernization and the motivations behind the solar project. “We at St. Rita feel that we have to stay ahead of the curve technologically in order to give our students the best education possible.  Our faculty is excited about the new beginnings in our science department and we look forward to using the panels this coming school year.”  This mentality fits in nicely with the goal of preparing these young men for higher learning.  The school prides itself on the fact that “students placed in the Academic Program receive the highest quality college preparatory curriculum offered by any high school.”  Additionally, the school has an honors program option for exceptional students who also absorb the benefits of this fine education.  The solar installation has added another dimension to this advanced educational facility.

In addition to the solar PV panels, Assistant Principal Partacz discusses how St. Rita has been “totally gutting out and remodeling our Chemistry labs to make them more state of the art. The new labs with the addition of the solar panels will give our students a better understanding in the field of science.”  All of these changes have resulted in turning a new page in regards to educating the young men about science, an exciting development for the staff at St. Rita High.

We live in a country where our school systems are not standardized, and often our children do not experience new-age technology such as solar installations, so this project is a unique opportunity for the students.  My hope is that when they graduate and move on to their next chapter, they take with them the lessons they have explicitly learned through these science classes and other subjects.  Aside from the ins and outs of energy efficiency, these kids should take with them the knowledge that not all students in the United States are able to learn in such a state-of-the-art environment.  Alumni of St. Rita can one day fight for the opportunity for all children to filter into schools with better resources.  The solar PV panels at St. Rita High are more than a simple modernization tactic: they represent a beacon of awareness for future projects.  We must scoop up both under-funded private schools and the public school districts which fall through the cracks of lower-income neighborhoods and find a way for all children to learn about going green.  St. Rita’s project allows us to stop and remember those who are less fortunate and take it upon the bright and eager young ones of this south side Chicago school to bring all American schools into the new age.

By Katie Kizer (photos provided by Chris Gerke)Few would debate the fact that a bustling urban neighborhood offers a wide range of learning opportunities.  One could ask, what better way to teach our young children about renewable energy than to take a preexisting learning domain in the middle of a city and install a successful renewable energy project?  In Lincoln Park, a Chicago neighborhood with families and young children, there is a zoo nestled between the water’s edge on Lake Michigan and the city streets.  Lincoln Park Zoo is free to the public, providing an open invitation for children to learn about animals during non-school hours.  A solar project has been installed on the large red barn, located in the Farm-in-the-Zoo presented by John Deere  as part of the Illinois Solar Schools initiative.  So as the kids view goats, pigs, and cows in this farm wonderland, they are also learning about alternative energies.  Parents can bring children to the zoo and large groups can visit without financial burden because admission is free.  People can even avoid the cost of parking if they opt to take public transportation or walk.  These kids are learning, in a fun way, something many parents and teachers work very hard to achieve.  What makes this project so fascinating is that it is a zoo with all the wonderful possibilities just mentioned, and it is part of the Illinois Solar Schools project!  What a refreshing alliance!  When I visited Lincoln Park Zoo this spring, I witnessed endless groups of children making their way through the weaving paths of the farm with wonder and excitement.  I sat for a moment on the bench near the solar project and observed the integration of these learning tools.  Such collaboration between a school and a zoo is inventive and inspirational, paving the way for future public domains to become learning environments for young people.  Installing solar panels at Lincoln Park Zoo is a way to implement the notion of renewable energy into the child’s upbringing, instilling in them a concept that many adults are struggling to grasp even today.Lincoln Park Zoo is also participating in many other green activities, including steps towards emitting fewer pollutants into the air, water and energy conservation efforts, energy efficient adjustments to their buildings, recycling, and many other proactive efforts to set a positive example for the community.  While I was in the visitor center discussing the solar project with the friendly Lincoln Park Zoo staff, I even noticed a battery recycling bin at my feet.  It is the little things like this that truly foster education about “greening” within the general public.  So while skipping through the zoo marveling at the zebras and monkeys, the children, along with their parents, are absorbing an enormous amount of environmentalism.  Funding for the Illinois Solar Schools project was provided in large part by Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation and Commonwealth Edison.  More information about this project including live data is available at www.IllinoisSolarSchools.org 

by Katie Kizer, intern at the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation

After six years of searching for a regular science teacher (and solar energy point person) at St. Michael School in Wheaton, Illinois, the school has finally succeeded in completing the solar installation in its entirety. It took 3 years to get the grant, a year to find the installer and get the installation in, and another two years to get a second grant to pay for the data collection system. This is not to diminish the wonderful project at St Michael’s or to complain about the time it took at each stage of the process, but to demonstrate that there can be so much more to such a solar project than simply installing a few panels. This is especially true for a small private school. But it also shows what can be accomplished when a dedicated group of teachers set their minds to something and they bring in outside groups like Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation, Commonwealth Edison, NEED and the Foundation for Environmental Education to join their team.

Last spring, St. Mike’s was finally able to hook up the software that reads the data with the hardware pictured below. There are 12, 80-watt panels that can finally communicate the coveted data we all wait so patiently to analyze. After all, it is this information that allows us to continue making the case for solar energy and it is this message that the 7^th and 8^th grade science students at St. Michael’s will finally be able to learn comprehensively.

Story submitted by Denise Munoz of ComEd

Representatives from ComEd and the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation (ICECF) assisted The Children’s School of Oak Park in Berwyn dedicate its new 1 kilowatt photovoltaic solar generation system and announce its renewable energy commitment during an afternoon ribbon-cutting assembly at its school on Thursday, October 25, 2007. The Children’s School’s faculty and all of its students and a few parents gathered for the dedication ceremony at the school and to view the new solar panel’s generation activity on the program’s website – www.IllinoisSolarSchools.org. The Children’s School was one of 16 schools and community organizations that received an Illinois Solar Schools grant this year. By turning schools into hands-on science experiments, this program makes science fun and teaches students how their everyday actions can positively impact the environment. NEED is administering the teacher training and the Foundation for Environmental Education is administering the installations part of the initiative.

Okay, that was the “official” introduction to my first solar school ribbon-cutting for the 2007-2008 school year since my predecessor to this program, Mr. Paul Wallace decided to retire in December of 2006. I must say that the excitement at the school and the presentation on solar energy that was given by the fourth graders at the Children’s School was very impressive and it is such a great validation that the solar schools program is doing what we intended it to do. The effort by all of those involved, especially Ms. Pamela Freese who volunteered her time to apply for the grant on behalf of the school, needs to be commended. Keep up the good work! It was also my distinct pleasure to present Mr. Daniel Ryan, from the Children’s School, along with Ms. Gabriela Martin from ICECF, it’s VERY FIRST PLAQUE since the school’s re-opening. And before I close, I also wanted to thank the children for allowing us to spend the afternoon with them touring their classrooms and enjoying their delicious solar school cookies at the end of the day. Congratulations, once again!!

Big things can happen even in small towns when small projects are undertaken by strong leaders…here’s the story of how a couple of solar seeds took root in Illinois…the after school club is not what it used to be as you’ll see…

Story submitted by Katie Kizer. Warren and Apple River, IL

Perceptions of after-school clubs tend to range depending on the nature of the organization, the individuals involved, their respective motivation to encourage productivity, and the personality of the school itself. The traditional understanding of these organizations is that students can join a group of personal interest to them and feel an extended sense of community beyond everyday classes.

One could argue that after-school clubs have a certain substandard reputation in American society when it comes to the “cool” thing for students to do within our public schools. Attempting to demonstrate this point with examples would be counterproductive based on the previously mentioned relativity. I do, however, argue that the face of these clubs has begun to change at the local level, specifically in the Warren Community Schools.

There are also those clubs and organizations which often credit their high turnout and competition among leadership to the pressure to be in good standing on the pages of college applications. What I want to bring to light is that a new generation of card-carrying members of school clubs has surfaced, and it is far from the cliché standard of student council and formal dance committees. In the Warren Community School District #205, an Energy Club has emerged, headed by Pam Phelps, and it has been generating a new breed of student activists.

With the assistance of the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation, the Foundation for Environmental Education, Commonwealth Edison, and the National Energy Education and Development project (NEED), two solar installations have been carried out at two different schools in the district.

Warren Elementary has a 1KW Photovoltaic system.

Apple River Middle School uses a 2KW system.

These two installations represent one large project that has changed the approach to learning among the members of both the Energy Club and science classes. According to Gail Heidenreich, Secretary at Apple River Middle School, these solar PV systems have allowed the “kids to learn a lot, but they are also teaching others what they have learned.” At such young ages, it is wonderfully refreshing to see students embracing renewable energy and even taking an interest in teaching others about what they have discovered.

In a district with a general population of less than 2,000 people, all it takes is one movement of individuals, regardless of age, to turn to one another and start a discussion about saving energy. This can affect each and every person in a community, especially in one such as Warren where education is so highly valued.

Once such a discussion has transpired, learning and inspiration to teach others supercedes the formal education process. This is because the message of helping the environment can transcend both grade levels and even school walls into the general community. Warren, Apple River, and the Energy Club that unites these schools are fundamental building blocks of this progression.

A major element of the mission as stated by Warren School District #205 is that they “believe that education is a combined effort of home, school, and community; and that all students have the capability to learn.” These solar school projects epitomize this message based on the positive repercussions that have been relayed by the faculty and community.