5.9.08
Kentucky Students Recognized for Energy Education Projects 

From January to April of this year, students at West Hardin Middle School monitored their school buses’ idle time at the end of each school day.  They charted data on each bus and sent their findings to their Superintendent and Director of Transportation. 

A sixth grader collects data on school bus idle time for the West Hardin Middle School NEED energy project.

The research was carried out as part of a project they completed for the Kentucky NEED Youth Awards Program for Energy Achievement.  On Tuesday, May 6, West Hardin and twelve other schools from across the Commonwealth were recognized by the Kentucky NEED Project for their outstanding energy education projects. 

Attending the event was special guest First Lady Jane Beshear as well as Senator Katie Stine, who gave the key note address.

During the school year, NEED student teams studied energy, its forms and sources, and then created an outreach project that would educate their fellow students and community about energy.  Transportation is one of the steps covered in the NEED curriculum.  (page 12 of http://www.need.org/needpdf/BlueprintForSuccess.pdf). 

For their outstanding energy education projects, these schools were invited to the Kentucky NEED (National Energy Education Development) Youth Awards Ceremony in Frankfort on May 6 to be recognized. 

• Beechgrove Elementary, Independence, Kentucky
• Campbell County High School, Alexandria, Kentucky
• Caywood Elementary, Edgewood, Kentucky
• Ft. Wright Elementary, Fort Wright, Kentucky
• Kenton County School District, Kenton County, Kentucky
• Phillip Sharp Middle School, Butler, Kentucky
• Picadome Elementary, Lexington, Kentucky
• Piner Elementary, Morning View, Kentucky
• River Ridge Elementary, Villa Hills, Kentucky
• Russell Area Technology Center, Russell, Kentucky
• Somerset High School, Somerset, Kentucky
• Twenhofel Middle School, Independence, Kentucky
• West Hardin Middle School, Cecilia, Kentucky
• White’s Tower Elementary, Independence, Kentucky

For more information about the Kentucky NEED Project and the Awards Program, please contact Karen Reagor at (859) 578-0312 or via email to kreagor@need.org.