Energy company NRG visited Newark Academy to make a very special delivery – a solar panel …

The panel is the crown (quite literally) for the sustainable house that science teacher Deb Tavares’ sixth-grade students have lovingly constructed and cared for. Made of locally sourced forest steward lumber, the house boasts features such as a rain barrel, shower, green roof and interior and exterior green walls. Complementary sustainable projects fill the area around the house in the Middle School Courtyard – a greenhouse, bicycle generator, compost bin, hydroponic garden and more.

Small groups of sixth grade students are responsible for each project and work in their assigned areas during science class. The groups are filming videos explaining their work and its impact on the environment. The videos will be accessible via QR codes attached to signs posted near each project.

Sixth-grade parent Karen Cleeve, whose son Jack is working on the sustainable house, was inspired by the project and shared it with her colleagues at NRG. NRG’s home solar division donated a solar panel and brought their technicians to campus to install it. The panel is connected to its own battery so that the unit can capture and store energy for the house.

The project has given Deb’s students hands-on experience with energy conservation, alternative energy sources and sustainable living. These enterprising, environmentally conscious, carbon-footprint-reducing sixth graders are excited and proud of what they’ve accomplished. They’ve given the entire NA community positive examples of earth-friendly living choices.