MITCHELL – During the Mitchell Community School Board meeting Monday evening, four freshman students presented the idea to install solar panels on the roof of the new hive building.
These students, from the Algebra 1 class taught by Mr. Noah Kearns, focused on the energy output from the High School to determine the cost per square foot, then using that as their base, determined the amount of money it would cost to run the new gymnasium.
Dakota Potter, Natasha Chastain, Shelby McClintock, and Andrew Parsons worked together to determine the costs by using equations they learned in class this year, offering an opportunity to use what they learned in a real-life scenario.
The students determined that for $311,454, the school could install solar panels on the roof of the building, and over 30 years, the school could save an estimated $1.2 million in that span, which could be used in other areas of the school.
The group even discussed drawbacks and concerns with the unpredictability of Southern Indiana weather and the strict restrictions of net metering laws.
Overall, the group gave a great presentation to the school board, while raising good points and answering questions they weren’t fully prepared for.
