During the Spring of 2013, Social Studies teacher Casey LaRosa discovered the Solar Suitcase project while perusing the web for relative topics that she could include in her instruction.
Through the summer 2013, Mrs. Larosa and Mr. Taylor (STEM Coordinator) discussed the project at great lengths with We Care Solar. Later on, in November 2013, Mr. Taylor and Language Arts teacher Eric Polhill attended a 3-day workshop at Princeton University organized by We Care Solar, the parent organization of the project. At this training they learned in great depth about the initiative and brought it back home.
A month later, in December 2013, a group of students (Kindness Committee) assisted with the fundraising and awareness of the project within the school. During February and March 2014, a group of teachers organized themselves to learn more about the Solar Suitcase project; electricity, circuits and then actually assembled a model Solar Suitcase.
In April of 2014, a trio of Maasai warriors attended Mount Hebron to present an assembly on culture. After the assembly, small conversations ensued and it was serendipitous; the Maasai lacked electricity! The conversation continued and it was quickly decided that a Solar Suitcase would be assembled for them to bring back to their village in three weeks time. During spring 2014, Mount Hebron Middle School assembled two Solar Suitcases which were sent to energy impoverished communities; the Maasai in Kenya and a school in Ghana, which has a longstanding relationship with teacher Casey LaRosa, the teacher who initiated the project.
The project constructed a third Suitcase in the spring of 2015 for the Democratic Republic of the Congo on behalf of a Montclair-based organization, Upright Africa. Shortly, a fourth suitcase will be assembled (spring 2016) for a school (EDEYO) in Haiti.
Special thanks to the MBOE Academic Office, Mount Hebron PTA, MFEE, Michael Starr and Shalini Taneja for their significant and generous contributions which allowed us to get started, by purchasing 7 Solar Suitcases for construction.
Through the summer 2013, Mrs. Larosa and Mr. Taylor (STEM Coordinator) discussed the project at great lengths with We Care Solar. Later on, in November 2013, Mr. Taylor and Language Arts teacher Eric Polhill attended a 3-day workshop at Princeton University organized by We Care Solar, the parent organization of the project. At this training they learned in great depth about the initiative and brought it back home.
A month later, in December 2013, a group of students (Kindness Committee) assisted with the fundraising and awareness of the project within the school. During February and March 2014, a group of teachers organized themselves to learn more about the Solar Suitcase project; electricity, circuits and then actually assembled a model Solar Suitcase.
In April of 2014, a trio of Maasai warriors attended Mount Hebron to present an assembly on culture. After the assembly, small conversations ensued and it was serendipitous; the Maasai lacked electricity! The conversation continued and it was quickly decided that a Solar Suitcase would be assembled for them to bring back to their village in three weeks time. During spring 2014, Mount Hebron Middle School assembled two Solar Suitcases which were sent to energy impoverished communities; the Maasai in Kenya and a school in Ghana, which has a longstanding relationship with teacher Casey LaRosa, the teacher who initiated the project.
The project constructed a third Suitcase in the spring of 2015 for the Democratic Republic of the Congo on behalf of a Montclair-based organization, Upright Africa. Shortly, a fourth suitcase will be assembled (spring 2016) for a school (EDEYO) in Haiti.
Special thanks to the MBOE Academic Office, Mount Hebron PTA, MFEE, Michael Starr and Shalini Taneja for their significant and generous contributions which allowed us to get started, by purchasing 7 Solar Suitcases for construction.
