East Texas

By BETTY WATERS
Staff Writer

FRANKSTON -- As fourth-grade science teacher, Lou Ann Bizell, pumped a special handle on a flashlight, the stronger the electricity became, making the light brighter. "This is transforming electricity into motion and transforming motion into electricity and light" she said.

Seventh-grade science teacher Sallie Benton pointed to a motor where students will be able to see wires around a magnet. "The more coils you have, the greater amount of electricity will be reproduced. Kids will love this, the hands-on (experiment), especially boys, but even a lot of girls are very much interested," she said.

A TXU Energy Solar Academy workshop conducted Wednesday to train Frankston Independent School District teachers dealt with changing different types of energy into other types of energy and showed how it all goes back to the sun and can be converted into what humans can use, Ms. Benton added.

TXU Energy selected Frankston ISD as one of 40 school districts across the state to participate in the academy's solar energy education program set up through a partnership with the National Energy Education Development (NEED) Project.

The academy programs teach students about basic energy concepts and electricity generation while introducing them to the power of the sun, states information from TXU Energy. Workshops are for teachers' focus on the science of energy, sources of energy, consumption, electricity, efficiency and environmental and economic aspects, according to TXU Energy.

About 10 Frankston teachers participated in the training Wednesday. They performed different types of classroom scientific experiments that they will take to their schools to use with Frankston students so that they can learn about renewable energy. The teachers trained will in turn train other teachers.

High school teacher Kurt Corley looked up from an experiment and explained the process involved changing chemical energy into heat energy. "When you break a light stick, there is a chemical reaction in the light stick. You break it and it produces a certain amount of light. You apply that light stick to a cold environment such as cold water or ice water, the light will dim or loose power because molecules inside the light stick are being heated, slowed down due to the colder temperatures," Corley said.

"If you move that same light stick into a cup of hot or boiling water, it gains back plus intensifies in light energy. The process is demonstrating chemical reactions based on cold and heat, depending on your environment and temperatures how certain things may be more beneficial in certain areas."

TXU estimates more than 56,000 students across the state will be taught about renewable energy through science, geography and math through the NEED energy education program.

Explaining how TXU Energy selected Frankston ISD to participate in the solar academy, Sophia Stoller, spokesperson, said, "We wanted schools in diverse locations. Frankston is a school really involved in innovation and technology and perfect to learn about renewable energy and other available energy."

Each participating Frankston teacher walked away from the workshop in Frankston Technology Learning Center with about $800 worth of grade appropriate hands-on kits for elementary, middle and high schools, the NEEDS solar curriculum guides and other materials. Outside the main building on the Frankston ISD campus stood a 1-kW solar array donated and installed by TXU Energy.

TXU donated 40 arrays to school districts statewide. Frankston students will walk by the Web-based array given their district everyday and will be able to monitor how much electricity is being generated. The purpose of the array is to educate students about solar energy and bring them into awareness of it, Ms. Stoller said.

The kits teach about the forms of energy -- heat, light, motion, chemical -- and energy transformation, as well as the properties of radiant energy and the ways in which power of the sun can be captured.

Teachers Jensy Bizzell and Linda Moore conduct a light experiment they will use with students after participating Wednesday in the TXU Energy Solar Academy education program.
(Staff Photos By Betty Waters)