Emily Barrett of the Bonneville Environmental Foundation demonstrates the solar oven at Orcas Montessori
From Tina Whitman, Science Director, Friends of the San Juans
As the Orcas Montessori School celebrates its 25th year of providing high quality and accessible early childhood education to Orcas Island youth, its committed staff, board and parents have their sights set on the future. Thanks to generous grant funding from the Bonneville Environmental Foundation and OPALCO, the Orcas Montessori School will install a photovoltaic solar system this summer and will soon be providing clean energy to the community and engaging local youth in the science and social benefits of green power.
“The Solar4RSchools program at Bonneville is a great match for the Montessori education system” notes school director Teresa Chocano, “in addition to helping us implement renewable energy at our facility, the program includes hands-on learning tools such as solar ovens and cars, stimulating interest in science and helping the children discover the responsibilities and joys of community they help create.”
The broader community of early childhood educators and students on Orcas will also benefit from the teacher training, curriculum and educational kits and materials that will be available to interested preschool and elementary educators this fall. Installation of the system itself will be conducted by local contractors, selected after a bid process managed by Bonneville Environmental Foundation, directly benefiting our local economy.
“It’s really exciting to see this renewable energy educational project coming together” states Montessori parent and board member Tina Whitman, “we have a great team of staff and parents donating time and expertise to complete the necessary facility upgrades this spring so the solar system can go up before the start of school in the fall. We do still need to raise additional funds to meet the match requirements of our grant and replace our aging roof but we are hopeful that we can find interested supporters in the community to help us meet the remaining needs of this significant project.”
For more information on this local green energy education project, or how you can get involved, please contact Orcas Montessori School.
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