A Solar Classroom For Everyone

Irving Middle School teachers and students are excited for the opportunity to learn more about solar power and solar technology right at our school site. Our state middle school science standards include explorations of earth’s resources, human impacts on the environment, and energy generation and transfer. The outdoor classroom space will be used to provide opportunities to examine the phenomenon of photovoltaic technology and converting of the sun’s energy into electricity. Students will engage with this renewable energy generation technology in a hands-on and safe environment. In addition to a dual use shade structure/solar installation, we would like to build a greenhouse, one dozen raised beds, a pollinator garden and a lockable tool shed. 

Any curriculum subject can make use of the outdoor classroom space that the shade structure will provide. We will develop an outdoor classroom reservation system that will allow any teacher regardless of content area or grade level taught to use the outdoor classroom. Even passive use of the shade from the solar installation will impact students during the school day. Our vision is to create a space that will benefit everyone at Irving. 

A shade structure like the two above would perform a dual use at Irving and could be replicated at various locations around the main building. This kind of structure can be used to offset our energy use and serve as a shade structure for an outdoor classroom, playground, bus pick-up loop, bike rack or picnic table/park bench. There is also a city bus stop and REC gym on our campus that would benefit from a dual use shade structure/solar installation.