Students at Mankato West High School lead on energy-saving LED lighting project

YES! is a Minnesota youth program where teams of students from grades 7-12 organized in a school system work on annual projects to learn about clean energy, waste reduction, local foods, habitat restoration, or water quality. Physics teacher Eric Koser, who has been the Mankato West High School Scarlets YES! team advisor for 10 years shared the history of the RetroLED project.

“I have a bias towards doing, so as the team decides its project for each year, I try to empower them to make a difference in their world.” Thus, the team has frequently focused on their school implementing projects such as eliminating the use of plastics and styrofoam in the lunch room, recycling of food waste, or installing several hydration stations throughout the school to reduce use of disposable plastic bottles. 

The team again took a break from energy to focus on other projects until the 2019-2020 season. By then the price of LED bulbs had decreased so much that replacement of the hallway fluorescent bulbs became cost-effective. In order to upgrade to LEDs though, an electrician was needed to remove the ballasts (an electronic component that regulates current to start the fluorescent bulbs). “In this case the CERTs Seed Grant, which can only be spent on labor, was a perfect fit to pay the electricians,” said Koser.

Miranda Kubek, student member of the YES! team, shared her views on the importance of the LED upgrade. “Climate change can be an overwhelming subject, especially for someone my age. It will affect me, but I have no say. This project is tangible in reducing energy use at my school and showing others how they can make changes.” The team has prepared a presentation that they will be sharing with the student body at the start of the school year, describing the details of the project and providing tips students can use in their own lives to save energy and reduce their carbon footprint. Mirada shared “this project gave me the opportunity to identify changes I can make in my day-to-day life, and now that I have that knowledge, I can continue to do things in my adult life and my future.” 

Miranda said she will continue to participate in the YES! program, as the team is already brain-storming for the new year’s project. She feels she has learned a lot about teamwork and project management. “I’m not the only one who planned this,” she said “we had to work together, to understand the needed steps, and to make connections to find resources.” Team advisor, Eric Koser called YES! a “gem that people aren’t aware of” and encouraged other schools to consider starting a team. Koser continued, “This project helped the students think about the energy used and then make a physical change with impact. Students don’t realize the power they have, and even if they choose a different academic area of study, the program builds a mindset of how much influence they can have on the environment.”