Featured on Eco Company
The TV show Eco Company featured Students for Solar Schools on its show—the episode can be found here. It features interviews with founder Adam Raudonis as well as other SSS leaders from Oak Park and Westlake. Congratulations!
Benefit Concert at the Teen Center
Edit: We raised a total of $1833! A big thank you to the TO Teen Center, the bands, Westlake Underground (who co-hosted the event), all the teachers who offered extra credit, and everyone who bought a ticket and attended. It was a huge success!
If the poster isn’t enough:
On Friday, February 4th, Students for Solar Schools is hosting a benefit concert at the Thousand Oaks Teen Center (located on 1375 East Janss Road.)
Scheduled to perform are Left On Bromley, Eyes on the Skyline, Make Your Day, The Bogarts, and The Spinning Jennys.
Contact a band or club member for a $8 presale ticket. Tickets are also available at the door for $10. Doors open 6:30 pm.
Bring money for pizza and Dippn’ Dots. There will also be a raffle.
Invite your Facebook friends on the event page too!
Sea Casa Fundraising Night
Edit: A total of $686 was raised. Thanks to all who went and supported. It was $60 more than last year!
If you live in or near the Conejo Valley, Students for Solar Schools is hosting a fundraising night at Sea Casa in Westlake Village, on December 7th, from 5-9pm. Sea Casa is located at 1014 S Westlake Blvd #4, Westlake Village, CA 91361. Students for Solar Schools will receive 25% of your order. No flyer is necessary.
Feel free to RSVP to the Facebook event and invite your friends. Hope to see you there!
Solar Calculator iPhone App Released!
The founder of Students for Solar Schools, Adam Raudonis, recently released an iPhone App called PV Solar Calculator that calculates the environmental and economic benefits of solar installations. Designed for both homeowners and installers, it determines the appropriate size needed and then provides a wealth of information in an easy to use format.
SSS Wins Kids Care Week Grant
Thanks to a committee lead by Grant King, the Conejo Valley SSS chapters have won a $250 grant from generationOn’s Kids Care Week by “going the extra mile”. TOHS, WHS, and OPHS all participated in the process. Congratulations!
SSS Chapter Started in Texas!
James Lai and Kevin Fu recently founded a Students for Solar Schools Chapter at Clements High School in Texas with the hope of uniting campus environmental groups with the common goal of advocating for solar panels on their school. Check back for updates!
WHS SSS Holds Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
Click on a picture to see a larger version. We had a great turn out! The Mayor, City Council Woman, School Board, Superintendent, Principal, Adviser, WHS SSS, TOHS SSS, NPHS SSS, OPHS SSS were all there! Notice we cut the ribbon with giant golden scissors we borrowed! Thank you to SEA CASA for the free, delicious food!
Westlake High Installs a 6.3kW Solar Array!!!
A year and a half of work comes to fruition, resulting in the World’s Largest Student Funded Solar Project! The Opening Ceremony will be Monday, June 7th at 3:30 PM.
SSS Awarded Ventura County Climate Action Award!
On April 20th, Students for Solar Schools was honored with the Ventura County Community Climate Change Action Award for Youth Leadership! SSS VPs Michelle Carney and Sarah Gerlach attended the Ventura County Board meeting where the award was presented. Michelle (left) accepted the award with a speech on behalf of SSS.
Click here for a complete list of winners.
SSS Founder Presents at TEDx!
Click to watch the Presentation on YouTube!
Last Saturday, March 27th, SSS founder Adam Raudonis presented at TEDxConejo, a locally organized TED talk. TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an international organization dedicated to bring ideas together with worldwide events. At TEDxConejo, Adam discussed the concept and goals of SSS, from fundraising to installation, creating awareness for the project at an event to bring together college students, high school students, educators, parents, and the general public of the community for talks and conversation at the Civics Arts Plaza.
Solar Install Paperwork Complete!
Finally, all the paperwork for the rebate and installation has been complete even including the interconnection agreement. This is an important step toward realizing the Westlake Project’s goal of a 6.3kW system installed soon!
Message from our VP of Technology!
Students for Solar Schools is gearing up to enter in a national video contest for a grant. While we’ve been filming, we’ve decided to do some small interviews as well so you can be introduced to our team! Here’s Lisa Peng:
OPHS SSS Helps Elementary School Go Solar!!!
Pam Chang, a junior at Oak Park High School, lead the effort to get a 2.8kW DC solar array installed at her local elementary school. Oak Hills Elementary gained 12 large, state of the art 220W SolarWorld panels donated by SolarWorld USA. Advanced Solar Electric also generously donated free labor and installation. More updates on what you can expect next to come soon!!!
Thousand Oaks SSS Publicizes First Meeting!
Hyping the first few Students for Solar Schools meetings is crucial for a great start for the solar campaign. The Thousand Oaks Students for Solar Schools team designed some great posters that any school can use if edited. You can view and download the several variations by clicking here. Edit them to fit your school’s needs by using Adobe Fireworks which you can get a Free 30 Day Trial for. Thank you Alex Chen, Daniel Luo, and Jingyi Li.
Villa Park HS Monitoring Site
Villa Park High School in Orange County, CA installed their 3.0 kW system in November of 2008, led by Brandon Bak (Class of ’09). The school also has a monitoring site up and running so that their statistics such as the amount of CO2 reduced can be viewed. Click here to see it! We hope that every school with a solar system will be able to get a monitoring site like this one.
Westlake High School Plan Progressing
Here’s a glimpse as to what the installation at Westlake will actually look like. Due to some recent concerns about the structural integrity of the roofs, the panels will now go on the carport behind Building 3.
SSS Featured in NPHS Newpaper
Thanks to Newbury Park High School for featuring Students for Solar School’s in its school newspaper, the Panther Prowler. The article was featured on the Prowler’s front page and summarized SSS’ achievements so far. Newbury Park HS is the most recent school to join the SSS organization, and student’s there, led by sophomore Shanti de Ruyter, are working to embark on the mission for solar panels. We look forward to working with them!
The full-length article may be viewed here. (scroll to bottom)
SSS High School Rivalry & Sustainbility Summit
Today I gave a 25 minute presentation about Students for Solar Schools at my rival high school’s first ever sustainability summit. Thousand Oaks High School’s 2010 summit was a huge success and even Superintendent Contini made an appearance and gave a riveting speech about his childhood experience living near the Cuyahoga River and seeing the polluted water actually catch fire. My school spirit was slightly tarnished when I found out by a show of hands that many more Thousand Oaks students were knowledgeable of the Copenhagen Climate Conference than at Westlake. I have already received emails from students who are interested in starting an SSS chapter. One at TOHS would mean every single high school in CVUSD will have a Students for Solar Schools chapter!
North Augusta High Students Achieve Solar Success with a 2kW system!
Byron Thomas, the student body Vice President of North Augusta High School wrote to me today about his inspiring story:
“I got North Augusta High School 10, 200watt solar panels which will equal a 2 kilowatt system. With the help of the EarthDay Network all of my dreams of turning my high school into a green school are coming true!!! We’re working with the EarthDay Network in Washington DC with the Director of Education Sean Miller and former Green Schools Coordinator Mike Beebe who sold my story to companies and there partners, in which BP was grateful to donate the solar panels to my high school for no cost…The panels will save my school over $35,000 in a 25 year spin, reduce over 100,000 pounds of Carbon-Dioxide, and serve over 3% of my schools energy needs… I’ve been invited to a National Environmental Conference in New York City, and one of the Co-Presidents asked me would I like to speak at the workshop when I come up there to share my story and bring a video to show the installation process and everything else to dealing with my story and solar panels… I will turn my school into a Green School before I graduate in 2011 and put North Augusta High School on the top of the map.”
You can contact Byron at tbyron25@yahoo.com and also the Earth Day Network at miller@earthday.net.
A $32 Million School Solar Project
Jason Bade, a graduate of Aragon High School in San Mateo, CA, has led a successful lobbying effort that brought solar power to schools in his district.
His quest to convince the district to invest in solar power began in October 2007, when he first met with district members. After much time and effort, the district’s School Board approved a massive solar installation, funded by bond money, for all six high schools in the San Mateo Union High School District this past November. The $32 million project has been started and will lower the district’s annual electric bill by $1 million. This means that the general fund will now have $1 million more every year which is equivalent to almost 10 full time positions.
Jason is currently a freshman at Stanford University, and also a California Climate Champion.
Students for Solar Schools 