A writing assignment in Georgina Hope’s Grade 11 composition class at Victoria High School has turned into a quest to get solar panels at the newly refurbished Fernwood school.
The school has just had a four-year, $100-million seismic refit and expansion that includes several energy-efficient features, but solar panels were not among them.
Hope said students were asked to write formal letters on a topic of interest, and having solar panels installed emerged as a favourite among the suggested options.
Student Eli Thuot said after they wrote the letters, the students visited the legislature to hand-deliver them before meeting with Environment Minister George Heyman and Victoria-Beacon Hill MLA Grace Lore.
“We got a lot of attention,” Hope said. “It went beyond a regular student tour.”
Heyman has since sent a letter of response, thanking students for their “well-taken” points and dedication to sustainable energy.
He said the Ministry of Education has several funding initiatives to help school districts install features like solar panels and heat pumps. “Your passion for making Victoria High School a model of sustainability is exactly what we need to inspire and drive positive change,” Heyman said.
Student Cadence Anderson noted that solar panels have been included in the plans for a new Cedar Hill Middle School, which is being touted by officials as the future “greenest” building in the Greater Victoria School District.
As for Vic High, “I think it was something that they talked about but decided against, probably for financial reasons,” said Cadence, who noted the school board has indicated there are no funds available right now for solar panels.
Solar panels are installed at other schools in the district, including Torquay Elementary, where a $60,000 solar-power project was completed in 2021 with money from the district’s capital fund.
Reynolds Secondary had solar panels installed in 2009 after winning them in a draw in conjunction with the B.C. Green Games — a province-wide environmental competition organized by Science World.
In the Sooke School District, PEXSISEN Elementary opened in 2022 with solar panels.
Hope said the writing assignment may be over but the idea of solar panels at Vic High has gained momentum outside the class and “exceeded our expectations.”
Aviva Isitt, a Grade 12 student involved in the school’s Environment and Climate Action Club, said club members are solidly behind the solar-panel idea and have started a petition of support that already has about 200 signatures.
She said the club would also like to see more climate-related education opportunities and the establishment of a district-wide recycling/composting program.
Aviva said one of the club’s goals is to show that young people care about climate issues, as was seen with a student walkout for climate action on May 31.
It’s important to bring up those issues now with a provincial election on the horizon, she said.
>>> To comment on this article, write a letter to the editor: [email protected]
