Victoria Fertitta accepts a plaque in her honor commemorating the GreenPower unveiling at her namesake middle school in Las Vegas as DRI Research Foundation Trustee and GreenPower Committee chair James Kropid congratulates her. (Photo by John Doherty) |
Two television weather reporters stake their claims to the best spots for live feeds at noon among the throng of kids, teachers, administrators and dignitaries.
Other TV news crews scramble to tape interviews as newspaper reporters hastily scratch quotes on notepads. Kids and teachers scurry about making sure posters and presentations are ready for primetime.
And all the while a blazing late-October sun provides a perfect southern Nevada backdrop for unveiling a new GreenPower solar and wind energy installation.
It was quite a day at Victoria Fertitta Middle School in Las Vegas where Desert Research Institute, Nevada Power and the Clark County School District gathered for ceremonies to activate the third renewable energy station in the county as part of their GreenPower joint-venture.
 GreenPower unveiling at Fertitta Middle School in Las Vegas draws keen news media interest. Four network-affiliate television stations and two newspapers attended the October event. (Photo by John Doherty) |
Made possible by a $40,000 donation from Station Casinos, the newest structure features 12 five-foot-high by 33-inch-wide solar panels producing two kilowatts of power. A wind generator powered by a four-foot wingspan propeller generates another 400 watts. All told, the GreenPower installation generates enough power to run a small efficient home and should save the school about $500 a year in energy costs.
But saving money is merely frosting on the cake according to James Kropid, a DRI Research Foundation trustee who chairs its GreenPower Committee. "The goal of the program is to provide a hands-on learning experience for teachers and students at their classroom doors with the added benefit of promoting the use and development of renewable energy."
Kropid says to help understand the technology and its benefits students can monitor a needle on an "envirometer" showing how much green power is being generated. "The GreenPower program has really taken off. In less than 18 months, three installations have been constructed in the Clark County School District," Kropid says.
 DRI Research Foundation Trustee and GreenPower Committee Chair James Kropid presents sixth-grader Dillon Nosko with a $100 savings bond from BankWest of Nevada. Nosko's entry, "Solar Station," was the winner in a naming contest for the Fertitta Middle School's GreenPower installation. (Photo by John Doherty) |
The equipment was installed by Las Vegas Solar Electric, which set up the other two arrays already located at Hyde Park Middle School in Las Vegas and Vanderburg Elementary School in Henderson, Nev.
To promote ownership of the Fertitta project, the school conducted a naming contest. Sixth-grader Dillon Nosko won a $100 savings bond provided by BankWest of Nevada for his suggestion "Solar Station."
School namesake Victoria Fertitta was in attendance and honored with a plaque commemorating the event. Lesley Pittman, vice president of corporate and government relations for Station Casinos says the company backs alternative energy and education. "We're pleased to support environmentally friendly initiatives like this one that will help the next generation of leaders fully understand the benefits of solar energy."
 TV news cameraman interviews DRI's Hilary Crowley next to student project poster displays on alternative energy during Fertitta Middle School GreenPower unveiling. (Photo by John Doherty) |
Eighth-grade science teacher Dawn Hall uses Solar Station for lessons on energy and has students create charts and graphs based on power output. She says hands-on experience brings subject matter to life in ways that books can't.
Hilary Crowley, who heads the GreenPower program for DRI, agrees on both counts. "Our program is aimed at changing behavior," Crowley says. "It's an investment in the future. We hope to influence behaviors so when students become adults they will go out of their way to integrate traditional sources of power with solar panels on their homes or consider buying a hybrid car."
More GreenPower installations are planned for 2004 in northern Nevada, with Traner Middle School in Reno expected to go online in late spring.
-Ron Kalb
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