The Odyssey of the Mind class at Tucker County High School is attempting to implement a plan to reduce energy consumption.
Steven Strothers leads the class, while Vicki Fenwick-Judy helps with the sustainability project. This year is Strothers’ first as a teacher. He was formerly the STEM coordinator. In addition to the Odyssey of the Mind class, he teaches computer science.
As a co-chair of the West Virginia Sustainable Schools program and the Executive Director of Experience Learning (formerly the Mountain Institute), Fenwick-Judy has experience working with groups to recognize their energy footprint.
The West Virginia Sustainable Schools program aims to recognize schools that “exemplify a commitment to sustainable practices in the facilities as well as integrate those practices into the curriculum and community.”
There are three objectives within the program; the high school chose to focus on the third, environmental impact and energy efficiency.
Once they decided their objective, the class began with an energy audit of the high school building to figure out the biggest energy users. When Fenwick-Judy first sat down with the group, they pondered the question, “What’s a student driven project that could make a dent?”
The class decided to reduce energy consumption by turning off electronics, lights, and HVAC systems while not in use. But they cannot do it alone.
“When we come back from the holidays, they are going to present their plan to the teachers and have a morning announcement for the students,” Strothers said. The class has to appeal to three different groups: school staff, students, and administration.
Fenwick-Judy wants the class to think about behavioral ways to motivate a group to work toward a goal. First the class must ask themselves, how do you get everyone on board to change behaviors to reduce energy? Then, how do you convey that message?
Strothers hopes that the plan will show a quantitative change in the school’s energy consumption. The class is working with the school’s facility director, Jonathan Hicks, to find ways to implement their plan.
According to their website, Odyssey of the Mind is “an international educational program that provides creative problem-solving opportunities for students from kindergarten through college. Team members apply their creativity to solve problems that range from building mechanical devices to presenting their own interpretation of literary classics.”
