Mamawi Atosketan Native School (Ponoka) and École Secondaire Lacombe Composite High School (Lacombe) were among 20 schools across Alberta that were recently awarded grants to help teachers get creative with energy education in their classrooms next year.
Over $100,000 was granted through the A+ for Energy program, which awards K-12 teachers with up to $5,000 to fund project-based learning initiatives to get students inspired and excited about energy education.
École Secondaire's project is 'AgriVoltaics.'
Mamawi Atosketan Native School, located north of Ponoka, was awarded the grant for its project 'Tiny Homes, Big Learning: A Cross-Grade 3D Energy Project.'
“Students will design and build model tiny houses as a vehicle to learn about energy efficiency, sustainable building, and community well-being,” said Mamawi Atosketan lead teacher Roland Scalliet explained in the school’s A+ for Energy application.
“This context is locally and culturally relevant: many Indigenous communities, including Maskwacis, face housing challenges. By exploring how a well-insulated, energy-efficient small home retains heat and uses power, students connect classroom science to real-world issues of housing quality and energy use in their community.”
Delivered by Inside Education with funding from BP Canada, Pembina Pipeline, TC Energy, Enbridge and Cenovus Energy, the A+ for Energy program was created in 2007 to financially support K–12 teachers to bring their energy education ideas to life.
Now in its 19th year, the program has provided nearly $5 million in funding to support energy education in schools.
“We received a number of applications from schools all across the province that showcased the creativity, innovation, and passion on display in Alberta K-12 classrooms,” said Kathryn Wagner, executive director of Inside Education in a press release.
“Teachers are always looking for new ways to bring energy education to life in their classrooms through hands-on, experiential learning, and we are proud to provide multiple avenues of support through the A+ for Energy program to make this happen.”
Over 3,000 K–12 students in 14 communities across Alberta (and one in Newfoundland) will begin working on their A+ for Energy projects in September.
