March WfS update
Greetings everyone,
The Alaska Wind for Schools program has been busy working with 2010 applicants and getting program information on-line and available to you all. We are providing a brief program update that we hope will provide you all with additional information and answer any questions.
Thirteen schools are looking at installing wind turbines this summer and 14 schools are planning to use the curricula-only option, with the plan of installing a turbine at a future time. We are excited to have all of theses schools participating during the first year of the program! For those schools that are participating this year, we have changed the School Board resolution deadline to May 1st to accommodate many school and school district schedules.
Attached to this email is the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document that addresses many questions about the program.
Curricula
We are continually developing and revising the curricula. You can view the curricula online at www.akwidac.com by connecting to the Wind for Schools link. Application information and forms can also be found on the site under Application Process. Grades 6-12 curricula is currently online and K-5 should be online by the end of the week. We are looking for feedback from teachers, schools, and school districts regarding the ease of accessing and understand the curricula and the grade-level appropriateness. We welcome your suggestions and comments! Various schools and groups, such as the Girl Scouts seen below, have already been playing and experimenting with the Wind for Schools program. We look forward to the fall!
Training
We are offering an Alaska Wind for Schools teacher training this June 7th-10th and August 9th -12th. This training is available for all of the schools that have already applied to the program. We plan to offer this as a 1 or 2 credit course for those wanting continuing education credits. It is also available to other schools that are interested in participating in the curricula-only option this year but have not yet applied. Schools that are still interested in the curricula-only option can still apply by June 1st.
Sponsorship
Attached is the sponsor opportunity form which details what sponsors will receive for their contributions. Individuals and businesses can sponsor the turbine installation at a specific school or they can sponsor the statewide Wind for Schools Program. This can be done both through in-kind services and/or cash contributions. All donations are tax deductible.
Program Development
As many of you know, the Wind for Schools program has been operational at the national level for 5 years, yet it is new to Alaska as of January 2010. We are currently operating without a budget until we receive the Department of Energy (DoE) program administrative funding. We are doing our best, but are operating with limitations due to the newness of the program and current financial constraints. We appreciate your patience as we work through this first year of the program and look forward to working with you all.
We understand that many of you have questions and there is some confusion over how this program will be implemented. To address this issue more information will be offered on our website at www.akwidac.com. Please check there for the latest updates. This program is not intended to be cumbersome for the schools to implement! We are working hard to ensure that this process is smooth and easy to integrate into the community. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with your concerns.
Wind for Schools Team
Who is who? The Wind for Schools Program is housed at the Wind Diesel Application Center (ACEP/UAF). Meet Kat Keith. WiDAC has an excellent program partner with the Renewable Energy Alaska Project (REAP) that acts as the State Facilitator for the program. Meet Hannah Gustafson. The Wind for Schools program is one of many projects that these ladies are working on.
We have a new WfS team member, Jill Maynard who is currently completed her Masters at UAF. Jill is able to work part time to help develop all aspects of this program from website development to permitting.
Phyllis Seeba, a retired school teacher in the Anchorage School District, has been volunteering her time with Wind for Schools since December. Phyllis has been working primarily on curricula development and making sure that the curricula is in accordance with state standards. Phyllis has been a very important member of the Wind for Schools team since the beginning!
In each community, there are project champions who are working to see that the program is a success and see to it that students will soon have access to the exciting program. We thank them for their efforts.
For funding and sponsorship questions please contact Hannah Gustafson at hannah@realaska.org or 907-929-7770 / 907-317-2050.
For educational and technical questions please Kat Keith at kmkeith@alaska.edu or 907-590-0751.
I am available to answer any questions as well!
Cheers,
Jill Maynard
