“It’s a very efficient way to have energy at our school,” said Terrence Lovett, 17, a senior at Gateway STEM High School in the St. Louis Public Schools. “Instead of using things that pollute our Earth, the solar panels provide a very clean and natural energy.”
On Gateway’s rooftop, 100 solar panels (known collectively as a solar array) lay in neat rows facing south to better catch the sun. Brightergy, a Missouri-based energy company, donated the solar array, with an estimated value of $80,000. It will produce about 33,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity per year, which will save the district about $3,000 in electricity in the first year.
This green initiative comes with a curriculum: BrighterSchools, a solar energy education program provided free to schools who install solar electricity with Brightergy.
BrighterClassroom is the program’s mainstay component, developed in conjunction with EarthWays Center of Missouri Botanical Garden. It includes eight lessons that correlate to Common Core State Standards and the Next Generation Science Standards. Students learn about energy in all its forms, energy conservation and efficiency, and the value of renewable energy.
Teachers who choose to incorporate the program into their lesson plans take part in two professional workshops. Gateway – a magnet school that focuses on preparing students for careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics – has made an effort to engage teachers to “cast a wide net of teachers who would use the program,” said Renee Racette, assistant principal.
Students use Brighterview, an online monitoring system, to access production data, such as the amount of electricity produced on a sunny day versus a cloudy day. Recently, data retrieved showed the system produced 6,538 kilowatt hours or about $400 in electricity. Students may share their findings on BrighterConversation, a social media platform and community blog.
Approximately 160,000 students statewide in grades K-12, enrolled in 75 districts and individual schools, participate in the BrighterSchools program. Several districts, including Maplewood Richmond Heights, Pattonville, Ritenour and University City, are in the process of introducing the program.
“The BrighterSchools program takes an extraordinary topic – energy – and makes it approachable and easier to understand,” said Cindy Bambini, director of business development at Brightergy.
“Our goal is to create greener, healthier schools by providing Missouri’s students and teachers with the resources and tools needed to generate increased awareness about energy, technology and sustainability.”
