Cory Capey, 9, Dean Schmidt, general manager of corporate affairs for Genesis Energy, Whangarei Heads School principal Lil Ruffell and Hadley Taylor, 9. Photo / John Stone
Cory Capey, 9, Dean Schmidt, general manager of corporate affairs for Genesis Energy, Whangarei Heads School principal Lil Ruffell and Hadley Taylor, 9. Photo / John Stone
One of the oldest schools in Northland is set up for the future after the installation of solar panels to generate electricity on site.
Established in 1858, Whangarei Heads School is the second oldest school still on its original site in New Zealand, and the 50th school in the countryto be part of Genesis Energy's SchoolGen programme.
Yesterday the school held a special assembly to share with parents and community members the story of how the panels work and what they can teach pupils. Genesis Energy environmental educator Maggie Twaddle has been at the school teaching the teachers and students how the solar panels work.
"School finances can be so stretched it's tough to manage these days, so to come in and give them the gift of the solar panels and save them money is great."
Pupils can log on to an interactive website that explains how much energy is being produced from the solar panels.
Teachers access resources that teach the pupils about electricity generation, solar energy, photovoltaic systems and energy efficiency, linked with national curriculum. Pupils dressed as pukekos, solar rays and panels danced and sang along to Here Comes the Sun by the Beatles in a production to share the story of how the panels produce energy and save the school money. Ms Twaddle said the panels produce enough energy to power one standard homeand were designed to last up to 40 years.
Mangakahia Area School is the only other school in Northland signed on to the programme.
