GREENFIELD — Greater Commonwealth Virtual School (GCVS) is receiving a $3,000 Cooler Communities grant that will help students make an impact in their community around energy efficiency and smarter climate solutions.
The Cooler Communities Program awards schools with funding of up to $5,000 to research and create exhibits and materials on climate change, energy efficiency and related subjects within their curriculum requirements to be displayed at a district-wide energy fair, a GCVS press release explains. Those who attend the community energy fairs are encouraged to pledge changes they can make to support more energy-efficient practices, and these pledges are tracked, calculated for their carbon-saving potential and followed up on.
Starting next month, students will identify and plan various ways to address climate change solutions, the release states. The school is giving students autonomy to work on the projects independently with the assistance of their instructors.
“We are thrilled to have received this award and look forward to seeing what our students are able to come up with as part of their efforts,” said eighth grade science teacher Jack Czajkowski, who applied for the Cooler Communities grant. “Despite being a virtual school, we place a great emphasis on making sure our students become active and involved members of their communities, and this grant will help us in that goal. We thank Cooler Communities for this very significant funding, and the greater GCVS community for their continued support.”
GCVS is one of 12 grant recipients. For more information about the program, which is sponsored by the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts and the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, visit coolercommunities.org/about-us.