Clintonville – Veronica Campbell, the Family Consumer Science Teacher at Clintonville High School, won a Sun Oven at the Wisconsin Family Consumer Science Conference that was held in Eau Claire, Wis., on August 9-11, 2010. The
The Sun Oven, valued at $250, was donated to the conference organizers by the Wisconsin K-12 Energy Education Program (KEEP). The oven can be used just like a regular oven, and educators can use it to teach about solar energy and radiation. KEEP works with Family Consumer Science teachers to help educate students about energy-related life skills, such as housing, financial management, and foods.
Campbell has been interested in teaching about energy education for many years. She has taken four graduate-credit courses with KEEP through the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point in order to increase her knowledge about energy efficiency, conservation, and renewable energy. She has also been awarded funds through the KEEP Energy Education Resources Grants Program.
The funds from this program were put towards the purchase of sewing machines that were used to teach students how to reuse old clothing and make it into something new.
By partnering with KEEP to provide energy education in her classroom, Campbell is helping her students become more energy literate. This will help prepare them for life after high school, where they will be making decisions about how to run their own household.
She also educates students about things they can do at any age to help protect the environment by conserving energy and being more energy efficient. While most students will not use a Sun Oven in their daily lives, it does build awareness of how energy is used in the United States and throughout the world.
“I have always believed saving energy is important. That is why I signed up for the KEEP classes when they were offered,” said Campbell. “I plan on using the Sun Oven with my Creative Foods students when we work on the role of families and talk about the energy-related changes in society and technology. Having the Sun Oven will also present the opportunity to work with the science teachers and students on science standards.”
KEEP is the result of a collaborative effort between the Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education (WCEE) and Wisconsin’s Focus on Energy program. The WCEE is a nonprofit organization, located in the College of Natural Resources at the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point, which works to improve environmental education throughout Wisconsin. Focus on Energy is Wisconsin’s statewide program for energy efficiency and renewable energy. Together, KEEP, WCEE, and Focus on Energy have worked with over 4,700 educators and energy professionals to improve and increase energy education in Wisconsin’s public and private K-12 classrooms. They work collaboratively to develop, implement, and evaluate energy education projects that address professional development, curriculum resources, networking and outreach, and student involvement.
For more information on KEEP, visit www.uwsp.edu/keep, and for more information on Focus on Energy, call 800.762.7077 or visit focusonenergy.com.