Bloomington High School South, The Gothic, 2015, Page 41

Description:	oneat a timeOUTHow did you bounce back fromfour consecutive snow days?Well, I started doing a littlework at the beginning of theweek. But, I was back to notdoing much by Thursday. So, Itechnically havent bouncedback. )f-senior Victor FitzekProject Pavegen, a part of AP Environmental Science and Students Advocating for aGreener Environment (SAGE), works collaboratively to raise awareness of a new formof alternative energy at Bloomington South.Walking into Mrs. AmandaFigolahs Project Pavegen PantherPlus is the opposite of a typicalclassroom. Upwards of 40 studentsline the walls and fill all of thechairs. Everyone is engaged,listening to each others ideas.Although it is loud, the chatter isproductive. Its amazing, Figolahsaid. I have never seen anythinglike it before.Project Pavegen wasestablished in 2014 to potentiallybring a new, creative form ofalternative energy to BloomingtonHigh School South. Since then, theproject has not only collected over$25,000 via grants and sponsors,but it has put Bloomington South onthe map as the first public school inthe country to install Pavegen tiles.Pavegen tiles create literalpeople power. When you step onthe tiles, the kinetic energy of yourfootsteps is converted tomechanical energy that is stored ina battery in the tiles, freshmanMaureen Lynch said. Thebatteries in the tiles can storeenergy, so energy is built up andcan be used when people are notstepping on them. In addition toobtaining the tiles, a phone chargerthat runs on electricity from thePavegen tiles above is set to beinstalled. People can walk, jump,or dance on the tiles to charge theirphones, senior Sidrah Din said.Project Pavegen wanted to domore than just raise awarenessabout alternative energy. We workin groups to create lesson plans forstudents of various grade levels,junior Willem Lim said. Figolahand her students took advantage ofPanther Plus enrichment time towork on this new curriculum.During Panther Plus, we cometogether to make notes, practicepresenting, and collaborate on howto explain Pavegen to kids ofdifferent ages, Lynch said. As acollective group, the students alsomanaged a budget of $2,000 forsupplemental materials to carry outthese activities.With Pavegen, Figolah sawthe opportunity to create a uniquelysuccessful educational program.By introducing Pavegen, last years[AP Environmental Science]students left a legacy of excitementand enthusiasm for other kids tofollow, Figolah said. Itssomething that they had never seenbefore and it has allowed studentsto showcase their various talents inproductive ways.The students proved just asexcited as Figolah. Although thelesson plans will not beimplemented until next school year,Project Pavegen has providedstudents with an interactivelearning experience outside of theirclasses. I think Pavegen will beinstalled everywhere one day,Lynch said. It is amazing that aproject this big is actually coming tolife, and Im proud to be a part ofit.- CAITLYN CHANG
Source:	http://cdm17129.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/hs-bloomsouth/id/8874
Collection:	Bloomington High School South

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