POST 2023 STATE CONVENTION WRAP-UP
This past week our team had the privilege of attending the 102nd Annual Wisconsin State Education Convention, where we were able to connect with old friends and make many new connections over the course of the four day conference. We were also able to show off a bit of our new look too!
The theme of this year's State Education Convention touched on the principles of unity, community, and opportunity — areas we strive to highlight and create in each project we participate in here at Upper 90. Some of our favorite moments and key takeaways this year included listening to insights from both educators and students that shared some of their experiences from the 2022 academic year in energy efficiency and sustainability.
Agricultural Sciences Instructor and FFA Adviser, David Kruse, and his students from Elkhorn Area High School presented their amazing journey of making solar a reality for their school greenhouse in the Solar Schools Pavilion area. It was a great opportunity to hear first-hand how this initiative created buy-in not only amongst the student body and faculty at the school, but also within the surrounding community.
They shared what resources were available to help spur on this project through local, state, and regional levels, like grants. They also used this opportunity for community outreach through forums to address concerns, as well as answer questions and share knowledge. The district plans to expand into other school facilities in the coming year. It's truly an inspiring story!
Unity - Community - Opportunity
Oconomowoc High School students and their AP Environmental Science teacher, Kelly Holtzman, presented in a breakout session on the results of their participation in the Renew Our Schools Initiative, as one of the winners of the Fall 2022 competition. This program is put together by Focus on Energy, KEEP (K-12 Energy Education Program), and the Colorado-based non-profit Resource Central, and allows for students to spear-head energy efficiency initiatives in their schools that create savings simply by changing day-to-day habits.
The students at Oconomowoc High School were able to not only save money that they could then reinvest in other more energy efficient LED lighting options, but because of their efforts and buy-in they created in a team atmosphere, they also won a cash prize from the competition! It's a group effort that produced measurable results from both an economic and educational perspective, touching on several of the seventeen UN sustainable development goals.
It was overall a fantastic week for Upper 90 in Milwaukee. We listened, shared, and learned so much from so many. If you are interested in any of the above initiatives for your district or business, how best they might fit your needs, or have any other questions, please contact us — we can help connect all the dots!
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