Ohio
Ohio Energy Project
Contact: Deb Yerkes
Tel: (614) 785-1717
Email: dyerkes@ohioenergy.org
Web: www.ohioenergy.org
The Ohio Energy Project (OEP) experienced another hugely successful year developing innovative methods to provide energy education and leadership opportunities to Ohio’s students and teachers. Youth Energy Summits, Energy Workshops, and Energy Fairs were held across the state to educate teachers and students about energy-related issues. OEP’s Be E3 Smart (Energy Efficiency Education) Program empowered students and teachers to conserve energy at home using energy conservation kits, resulting in a significant energy savings across the state. This program has been very successful and we are planning to ship 45,000 energy conservation kits throughout Ohio in the upcoming year. Similar to summers past, the number one professional development opportunity for OEP continues to be the Energy Sources Tour. Teachers board a bus to visit a variety of energy sites across Ohio that demonstrate various energy sources and production, their applications, and other science concepts. Our Environmental Careers for Ohio’s Students has been extremely successful, having reached 150 high school student leaders across the state. This program was funded primarily by a grant through the Ohio EPA and it aligns the state’s best and brightest high school students with energy-related technology and research currently being performed across Ohio. Finally, OEP is partnering with AEP-Ohio on a ground-breaking demonstration gridSmart program with central Ohio school districts. The gridSmart program will provide information to teachers and their students about the benefits of smart grid technologies and show how these technologies can make their homes, schools, and communities more energy efficient.
Major Sponsors: American Electric Power; AEP Ohio; Dayton Power & Light; Ohio Department of Development/ Community Services; American Municipal Power and Member Communities; Ohio EPA/OEEF; Westerville Electric Division; Worthington City Schools; Toyota; Honda of America; Ohio Fuel Cell Corridor; NiSource/Columbia Gas; Ohio Rural Electric Cooperatives; Martha Holden Jennings Foundation; Ohio Farm Bureau Foundation; Ohio Propane Education Research Council; U.S. Enrichment Corporation; Marathon Ashland Petroleum; Ohio Consumers’ Council; Industrial Energy Users; The Akron Foundation.
Teachers can access NEED curriculum online. As resources are available, teacher workshops and hands-on kits are available. Individual state curriculum correlations are available here.
NATIONAL PRIMARY SCHOOL OF THE YEAR FINALIST
Annehurst Elementary School
Westerville, OH
Project Title: Energy All-Stars: Impacting our Community and Beyond!
Project Advisers: Erica Layne,Julie Pierron, Kelli Stuckey
Young students often have the most to learn about energy, but can also cause the greatest impact by sharing what they have learned. Our energy studies include three inquiry questions: “What is energy?” “How do we use it?” and “How can we save energy?”
We began by playing Energy Jeopardy and learning the Energy Chants. We observed how wind and the absence of wind changed the direction of something flying. We noticed the sun’s heating, melting, baking, and fading effects. Touching coal, viewing photos of coal miners, mining equipment, and viewing digital images of the pathways of electricity helped us learn where our power comes from. Our district’s energy manager presented our school’s energy use via PowerPoint and demonstrated with a kilowatt meter the marked differences in energy use of the compact flourescent and incandescent bulbs.
To implement changes, our students recycle used glue sticks/ bottles, paper, and aluminum cans. We “upcycle” empty Capri Sun pouches. We compost yard/food waste and add it to our community/school rain garden. We create posters that encourage saving energy, act as “energy detectives” and “energy news reporters”. In addition to supporting our learning, we expect our Annehurst families, which include multiple generations from many different nations, to participate in the “Energy Action Plan” yearly. We’re “little” people hoping to make a “big” impact!
Wilson Hill Elementary School
Worthington, OH
Project Title: Wilson Hill’s 5th and 6th Energy Scrapbook
Project Advisers: Pam Brill and Laura Swabb
Wilson Hill had its fourth Energy Day, planned by fifth and sixth graders. All grade levels participated. Students and our community were informed about dwindling resources in Ohio as well as worldwide. As students and teachers, we all realize the impact for the future as well as our responsibilities to make changes now. Sixth grade created energy PowerPoint presentations, which shared many facts and statistics on all resources. Sixth grade presented energy games to the fifth graders – which they loved. Sixth graders also continued to monitor our solar panels and paper and cardboard recycling programs.
The fifth graders compiled lists of ways to save energy. Fifth graders taught energy games to primary students. Shauni and Sue also had a table at the fair where they shared solar power in action through toys such as a ferris wheel. Sue presented “Energy With Toys” to fifth graders. What fun! Seniors were interviewed about energy use in the “Good Old Days.” We watched “Human Footprint” and responded through writing. It’s amazing how much we consume in our lifetimes. The Center of Science and Industry (COSI) on Wheels was at our school on Fair Day. A good time was had by all!
NATIONAL JUNIOR LEVEL SCHOOL OF THE YEAR FINALIST
Heritage Middle School
Westerville, OH
Project Title: The Energy Connection
Project Advisers: Debbie Pellington, Nyesha Clayton, Lavanya Watkins, Jason Tucker
The Energy Team at Heritage Middle School decided our name would be The Energy Connection. Our goal was to connect all of our energy activities by educating each other, our families, our school and our community, creating one continuous distribution of energy education.
We highlighted our energy connection by running distribution lines throughout our scrapbook. Each distribution line contains a short explanation of the energy activities completed throughout the school year. We went on field trips and had guest speakers to educate ourselves. Our home energy surveys and audits increased our energy knowledge at home. We promoted a recycling program in our cafeteria that showed an increase in student recycling during lunch. In addition, we created educational energy games, wrote and presented energy announcements, conducted light bulb surveys in which we pre- and post- tested community members (which documented major gains in energy knowledge), distributed compact fluorescent light bulbs, and hosted energy fairs.
The Energy Connection Team found that by connecting our energy ideas and activities, we were able to document major gains in energy education in personal, home, school, and community energy knowledge.
NATIONAL SENIOR LEVEL SCHOOL OF THE YEAR FINALIST
Oakwood High School
Dayton, OH
Project Title: Turning Oakwood Green
Project Advisers: Tony Rainsberger, Heidi Steinbrink
Looking back over the past five years, it is apparent that we have evolved and continue to do so. Starting with just eight students that first year to having over sixty currently active members, we have created our own footprint on our school and community. We have continued with our successes of the past, literally building new homes for Dayton Habitat families, continuing our tradition of giving energy efficient baskets, and staying involved with our community library and regional science events. This year we expanded our program to start the next phase of our team – the 10% NOW Campaign. We felt that we had an abundance of knowledge and needed to put that knowledge into action. Sending out over 4,000 letters into the community, our goal is to reduce energy consumption by 10%. Working with the University of Dayton, we developed an excel program that allows us to analyze utility bills to create an energy report card for citizens. We hosted our first ever Energy Fair to distribute those report cards and to educate young and old alike about ways in which they can improve their energy efficiency. We ARE taking the steps to “Turn Oakwood Green.”
NATIONAL SENIOR LEVEL SCHOOL OF THE YEAR FINALIST
William Henry Harrison High School
Harrison, OH Project Title: H.O.P.E. (Harrison Ohio Project Energy)
Project Advisers: Steve Brickner
The William Henry Harrison High School Ohio Energy Project group has been working towards a more efficient and aware community. We’ve been working with professional lighting engineers to perform an energy audit on our building, which would help the school board become a more financially efficient school with their effort to reduce the budget. We are hopeful that our efforts will reduce energy costs for the school and make a difference in energy consumption.
We went to elementary schools, churches, and businesses to perform for young students and parents. On top of our demonstrations of the different types of energy and games, we designed a project to demonstrate wind energy for eighth graders. We also gave energy shut down lists to teachers to bring attention to the importance of energy efficiency.
We used pre-tests and post-tests to see if we were having an impact on our audience. We found that the majority of our audiences improved their scores after we had spoken to them.
Our group is confident that our attempts to educate the community have made a difference. We expect people to use our information, especially with the country’s strong increasing concern about the current energy problems.
NATIONAL SPECIAL CATEGORY FINALIST
Westerville Energy Education Partnership
Westerville, OH
Project Title: Give a “CHEER” for Westerville Energy Education
Project Adviser: Chris Doolittle
There is a lot to cheer about in Westerville City Schools this year. Teachers and students have stepped up to shout the message of energy education throughout the community. Hip, Hip, Hoorah for all of the hard work done this year!
Educators are the key to the Westerville Energy Education Partnership. First, fifth, and sixth grade teachers attended professional development workshops to fine tune their energy curriculum. High school teachers cheered on the three energy teams that facilitated Energy Fairs for all 16 elementary schools.
Westerville’s three high schools’ energy leadership teams lead the charge for energy education. Their enthusiasm is contagious as they facilitate activities for fifth grade students district-wide and pass on their energy knowledge.
Providing excellent programs, materials, and activities is the primary goal of the Westerville Energy Education Partnership. Students are making an impact on their schools and homes by promoting energy conservation behaviors and installing efficiency measures. Westerville teachers and students promote energy education and energy efficiency throughout the Westerville community.
