Empowering Students Through Solar Energy Initiatives
In an innovative step towards sustainable education, Carver Military Academy is harnessing the power of the sun to create learning opportunities and address infrastructure challenges. As part of a new green jobs pathway program, students are set to delve into the realm of renewable energy this summer.
Physics and environmental science teacher Jamiu Sokoya recently captivated his students with a practical demonstration of solar energy. “This mimics the heat of the sun, and we can use it to generate electricity,” Sokoya said, illustrating the concept with a tiny solar panel and a fluorescent lamp.
Juniors LaShawn Jones, 16, and Sebastian Rojas, 17, will join four other students in a paid internship focusing on solar panel installation at their school. “It’s a great opportunity. Great experience,” Jones remarked, highlighting the significance of this endeavor in their community.
This initiative is a segment of the Healthy Green Schools Pilot Program, funded with $10 million to advance clean energy projects across Chicago Public Schools (CPS). The program aims to modernize infrastructure, addressing a backlog of nearly $4 billion in repairs, with the average building over 85 years old.
Situated in the Riverdale neighborhood, Carver serves around 400 mostly low-income students. The school’s green transformation is set to inspire neighboring institutions, with others like Hubbard High School and Pershing Elementary also slated for solar upgrades.
Sokoya, a passionate educator and advocate for sustainable practices, expressed his excitement: “It’s a dream come true. Our students at Carver, they’re going to be benefitting, so that they can actually go and get a career in solar panel installation.”
Despite not being directly involved with the installation, Sokoya will mentor students informally while leading summer camps. The students, including aspiring HVAC technician Jones, are enthusiastic about the chance to gain real-world skills in a burgeoning industry.
Rojas, who has a keen interest in construction, sees the internship as a pivotal opportunity. “It’s a big opportunity,” he said. “It brings attention, resources and new ideas to our school, and it shows how we deserve investment and clean energy programs, just as anybody could.”
Carver, established in 1947, is located near the historic Altgeld Garden Homes, a site integral to Chicago’s environmental justice movement led by figures like Hazel M. Johnson.
Lauren Bianchi, CTU’s green schools organizer, expressed the initiative’s significance: “We really feel that this project is a victory that is trying to build on that legacy of Black-led environmental justice organizing in this part of Chicago.”
The Chicago Teachers Union’s four-year, $1.5 billion contract includes goals for solar and heat pump installations at 30 schools. Meanwhile, the Chicago Board of Education’s resolution seeks to develop 12 clean energy projects by June.
Despite financial constraints, Anusha Thotakura, the resolution’s sponsor, underscores the importance of these investments: “We have a lot of fiscal challenges. Being able to make clean, great investments upfront is going to save our district millions of dollars in the future.”
As Jones and Rojas prepare for their summer roles, they are eager to apply their classroom knowledge to real-world projects. Rojas articulated the broader impact of solar energy: “Solar power is good for our future because it’s clean, it doesn’t run out and it helps cut down on pollution.”
Original Story at www.chicagotribune.com