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Middle schoolers learn about renewable energy

Micah Sampson (left), a Renewable Energy Camp participant, displays one of the pieces of solar equipment that campers learned about and discusses the equipment with Huntington County Commissioner Terry Stoffel.
Micah Sampson (left), a Renewable Energy Camp participant, displays one of the pieces of solar equipment that campers learned about and discusses the equipment with Huntington County Commissioner Terry Stoffel. Photo by Katelynn Farley

During the last week in June, area middle school students gathered at Lincoln Elementary School for the Huntington Summer Renewable Energy Camp, which was a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) summer camp.

A total of 14 campers took part in the four-day camp, learning about different kinds of renewable energy. On Thursday, July 1, campers presented their very own model cities to members of the community, complete with diagrams of wind turbines, solar panels, dams and more.

Each city model had a minimum requirement of the number of houses and vehicles that needed to be included, which contributed to the need for energy.

Campers then designed their city models to ensure that enough energy would be available for consumption. Designs varied from having rivers with dams surrounding living areas to a city bordered by solar panels, to having large spans of green space for “residents” to enjoy.

Throughout the week, campers experimented with the different kinds of renewable energy machines. Experiments varied from lifting a small paper cup filled with pennies by using a hand-made wind turbine, some twine and a hair dryer to racing solar-panel-powered cars against each other. Campers also showed off their hand-made solar ovens, in which they had recently prepared s’mores to eat. The solar ovens were made out of small cardboard boxes, aluminum foil, plastic bags and black paper.

Community leaders such as Commissioner Terry Stoffel, Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Steve Kimmel and Mayor Richard Strick were present to hear from the campers and learn about their renewable energy concepts.

Stoffel commented on how extraordinary it was that the campers were taking time to invest in the community during their summer break.

“Please, leave some of it here! Don’t move away, keep some of that here,” Stoffel said. “I think it’s great, it’s super that you took a week out of your schedule to do this. Keep investing in our community, and believe me, it comes full circle.”

Kimmel praised the campers for being so knowledgeable and being able to thoroughly explain their projects.

“As you asked them the questions, they knew exactly how it worked, why it worked . . . and it wasn’t just put together, they actually had a very good learning experience this week,” Kimmel said. “I commend all of the students for taking the time out of their summer to learn this.”

Strick commented on how well their week of learning came together for their presentation.

“I would just echo and affirm how awesome it is to hear about your projects and what you’ve learned together this week,” Strick said. “And to see all of that showcased . . . and again, to all of the teachers and the administration here, great job. Watching and hearing about how much fun was had, and even adapting to when something didn’t work out the way we hoped it would, figuring out another way to make it work, that’s the fun stuff.”

The camp was led by four local teachers - Brian Milton, Travis Bolinger, Andrew Villanueva and Ashlee Wilson - as well as Center for Energy Education Regional Director Brooks Fetters.