New solar panels help Mundelein school go green

They were covered with snow by the time the installation was complete, but the new solar panels at Lincoln School in Mundelein are poised to soak up the sun's rays as soon as the clouds clear.

The energy-collecting device, installed Wednesday, is the result of a student-led "Lincoln Goes Green" initiative that began last year. Fourth- and fifth-graders in Christy Hunter's class were challenged to come up with ideas for the school to conserve energy and reduce its carbon footprint.

"We use a problem-based learning concept that encourages the students to brainstorm creative solutions," Hunter said. "They came up with a list of ideas to reduce, reuse and recycle and this was at the top of the list."

Good ideas are a dime a dozen, but paying for them is another matter. Hunter said she and the students applied for a grant from the Chicago-based Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation.

"We were totally surprised when we got the letter saying we won the grant," Hunter said. The foundation awarded the school $5,000, which paid for bulk of the $6,000 cost. The school chipped in - as did Hunter - to complete the deal.

The energy generated from the panels won't cut the school loose from ComEd. It will provide enough power to burn a 100-watt bulb for ten hours. But, Hunter said, the learning experience will provide power and stoke concern for the environment for years to come.

"The value of this goes beyond the energy generated from the panels. We are integrating this into our math and science units," Hunter said. "The unit will be linked to a computer where students can record the amount of energy being generated daily, weekly and monthly."

Principal Kathleen Miller sees greater benefits, too.

"This helps the students learn to be creative in difficult times," Miller said. "This empowers kids to solve problems on their own."

It's hard to say if the effort will make a difference in the big picture, but that doesn't discourage fifth-grader Leah Goldman. She was part of the project from the beginning.

"It's going to help the environment big time," she said. "If one person starts doing things like this, then a lot of other people might start, too."