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Two Wisconsin schools win energy challenge

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December 12, 2022

Two Wisconsin schools have won a $2,500 cash prize in a statewide sustainability contest for students, according to a press release.

Students at OH Schultz Elementary School and Oconomowoc High School won a cash prize as part of the Renew Our Schools challenge, created by Wisconsin K-12 Energy Education Program in partnership with Focus On Energy.

Seventeen schools participated in the contest, which required winners to reduce energy usage by at least six percent. The winning schools won the cash prize along with a bonus $200 for additional mini-challenges, including investigation of home energy use and dedicating a school day to reducing energy use by three percent.

OH Schultz Elementary School exceeded requirements and reduced energy use by 16.94%, including behavioral interventions and installing LED lighting and sensors. "Our focus during the challenge was to get the whole school on board. It was great to see students and teachers actively involved in the competition," Ryan Kamien, fourth grade teacher at OH Schultz Elementary School, said in the release.

Oconomowoc High School reduced energy by 8.25%, reprising its Spring '22 victory with a combination of tactics, including switching A/C to occupancy-only and visiting the town utility company to learn more about energy.

"We have found the Renew Our Schools program to fit our curriculum perfectly," Kelly Holtzman, science teacher at Oconomowoc HS, said in the release. "Giving our students the opportunity to use energy-tracking data and learning how to interpret the results is a profound skill to develop at their age. Energy is a topic that affects everyone. We need to ensure we are doing our part to educate others because, at the end of the day, we are all energy consumers."