The Woodside World Mr. Riley
Listen to an interview conducted by a journalism student, Gwen Gores, with Mr. Reiley and the atmosphere on campus. Mr. Reiley, a past teacher at Woodside, has returned to campus and wishes to create a better atmosphere on campus for the teachers and the students. One of his solutions is surprising: cell phone use. Yes, the staff at Woodside is considering students to use cell phones outside of class. The catch is-the campus must be clean and respect must be represented. So, the question is: Can Woodside show respect towards their campus, their peers, and their authorities?
Woodside: Where the sun don’t shine
By Kelsey Ulrich
California’s efforts to go green have turned legal and left Woodside
High School dangerously close to incrimination. On December 14th of
2005, the California state government approved the Executive Order
S-20-04. With this decision came the Green Building Plan, which moves
to environmentally improve all state buildings and reduce energy use to
be 20% of what it was in 2003 by the year 2015.
Following this order came the Assembly Bill 532, which was approved in October of this year. This bill mandates that by January 1st of 2009, solar energy equipment must be installed on any and every public building/facility, new or existing. This, of course, is contingent upon whether or not funds for such are available and whether or not it will be cost-effective over the life of the building.
The district first entertained the idea of installing solar panels when a solar energy/green building bond was proposed on the November 2004 ballot. This bond was widely supported and the district went as far as to have a surveyor come to Woodside to estimate the cost of installation. At this point, Ed La Vigne, assistant superintendent, vetoed the proposal. He reasoned that “they could not get good information from him”. Or rather, he couldn’t get the information he wanted when the surveyor exercised his right to withhold from La Vigne information regarding his company’s personal profit margin versus the proposed cost.
The bond money, instead, went on to fund renovation/building projects at Woodside, but the campaign for solar energy installation continued. Ann Akey, Environmental Science teacher, explains that “when the first set of new H wing buildings was put in, the district looked into installing solar panels. They had an estimate made and then decided that the payback period of twelve years would be too long.” Over the life of a school, however, this seems to be a relatively small period of time.
Even when the district denied Woodside the means of installing solar energy on campus, a select few persisted, The BP A+ for Energy organization provides $5 million in grants and scholarships to people who implement innovative energy conservation programs at their schools. Jenna Cestone, a key player in the solar revolution, tried for a BP grant to cover the cost of installing solar panels and photo-voltaic systems at Woodside, but we did not receive it.
In spite of passed disappointments, of which there have been many, Woodside is once again approaching the district with high hopes. The bond list for the February 2008 ballot now includes a “Green Buildings Bond,” which would fund Woodside’s efforts to go green.
La Vigne states that he “can’t speculate on the outcome of the upcoming ballot. [District members] think that there are going to be an awful lot of voters on the upcoming ballot and that those voters will regard favorably those projects on the list.”
The chances of the “Green Building Bonds” passing seem to be diminishing as parents and district members are promoting a renovation bond. Pat Gemma, Superintendent of the Sequoia Union High School District, spoke at the recent PTSA meeting regarding this bond explaining that it plans to fund concession stand renovations, parking lot remodeling, fence and road improvements, as well as several other revamping projects.
Though this bond would fund Woodside’s proverbial facelift, it is important to consider the impact that the “Green Building Bond” could make. Installing solar panels at Woodside would ostensibly lower our energy use thus reducing our dependency on fossil fuels. As it is, we spend an average of $31,000 monthly to pay for our PG&E bill, according to Cestone.
Juan Vega, Woodside’s Plant Manager, points out that “the money the district is using to purchase regular energy could be given to the schools to pay for other things. To tell you the truth,” he says, “if we install solar panels at Woodside, we will eventually be saving money.”
According to the CCEnergy Green Power Group, maintaining a properly installed photovoltaic system would only entail occasionally rinsing it off to remove dust and pollen. They estimate that over a 25 year period, maintain such a system would cost significantly less that 10% of the initial cost of installation. The lifespan of a photovoltaic system, as estimated by the Solar Energy Services, is estimated to exceed 35 years, 25 of which are warranted.
“Let’s Green This City,” an organization sponsored by PG&E, states that each photo-voltaic system generates, on average, 1.3 kilowatts of energy, which is enough to power an entire classroom.
Another huge advantage to installing solar panels, as presented by the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency, is that installation of any photovoltaic system before December 31st, 2009 will be 100% exempt from taxation.
Obviously aware of these benefits, Caroline Asher, “Greenies” advisor, states that she is “100% for it. As a school, [going green] is one of our priorities.” Asher expresses concern that “as a district, we’re not following the state mandate. We’re saying to the students: ‘We’re not going to, but you should.’”
La Vigne’s opinion on the matter is that “energy conservation starts with the simple things.” When prompted to elaborate, La Vigne went on to reference his grandmother and how, if someone left the door open when the heater was on, she would joke that they shouldn’t be “heating the whole neighborhood.”
La Vigne also suggested that schools reduce the use of air conditioners and heaters in classrooms. “Can’t classes be [colder] and we just wear a sweater?” Gemma reassures that La Vigne “is working with our construction department to research solar energy and other means to conserve fossil fuels… [They] have arranged for a presentation by a solar energy consultant who will explain the new advances in solar energy panels.”
La Vigne elaborates that the “purpose of the meeting is to have a qualified vendor review what they see as the most important advances in solar cell generation of electrical power rather than a ‘hard sell’ of their particular brand.” Perhaps it’s time to stock up on sweaters.
Following this order came the Assembly Bill 532, which was approved in October of this year. This bill mandates that by January 1st of 2009, solar energy equipment must be installed on any and every public building/facility, new or existing. This, of course, is contingent upon whether or not funds for such are available and whether or not it will be cost-effective over the life of the building.
The district first entertained the idea of installing solar panels when a solar energy/green building bond was proposed on the November 2004 ballot. This bond was widely supported and the district went as far as to have a surveyor come to Woodside to estimate the cost of installation. At this point, Ed La Vigne, assistant superintendent, vetoed the proposal. He reasoned that “they could not get good information from him”. Or rather, he couldn’t get the information he wanted when the surveyor exercised his right to withhold from La Vigne information regarding his company’s personal profit margin versus the proposed cost.
The bond money, instead, went on to fund renovation/building projects at Woodside, but the campaign for solar energy installation continued. Ann Akey, Environmental Science teacher, explains that “when the first set of new H wing buildings was put in, the district looked into installing solar panels. They had an estimate made and then decided that the payback period of twelve years would be too long.” Over the life of a school, however, this seems to be a relatively small period of time.
Even when the district denied Woodside the means of installing solar energy on campus, a select few persisted, The BP A+ for Energy organization provides $5 million in grants and scholarships to people who implement innovative energy conservation programs at their schools. Jenna Cestone, a key player in the solar revolution, tried for a BP grant to cover the cost of installing solar panels and photo-voltaic systems at Woodside, but we did not receive it.
In spite of passed disappointments, of which there have been many, Woodside is once again approaching the district with high hopes. The bond list for the February 2008 ballot now includes a “Green Buildings Bond,” which would fund Woodside’s efforts to go green.
La Vigne states that he “can’t speculate on the outcome of the upcoming ballot. [District members] think that there are going to be an awful lot of voters on the upcoming ballot and that those voters will regard favorably those projects on the list.”
The chances of the “Green Building Bonds” passing seem to be diminishing as parents and district members are promoting a renovation bond. Pat Gemma, Superintendent of the Sequoia Union High School District, spoke at the recent PTSA meeting regarding this bond explaining that it plans to fund concession stand renovations, parking lot remodeling, fence and road improvements, as well as several other revamping projects.
Though this bond would fund Woodside’s proverbial facelift, it is important to consider the impact that the “Green Building Bond” could make. Installing solar panels at Woodside would ostensibly lower our energy use thus reducing our dependency on fossil fuels. As it is, we spend an average of $31,000 monthly to pay for our PG&E bill, according to Cestone.
Juan Vega, Woodside’s Plant Manager, points out that “the money the district is using to purchase regular energy could be given to the schools to pay for other things. To tell you the truth,” he says, “if we install solar panels at Woodside, we will eventually be saving money.”
According to the CCEnergy Green Power Group, maintaining a properly installed photovoltaic system would only entail occasionally rinsing it off to remove dust and pollen. They estimate that over a 25 year period, maintain such a system would cost significantly less that 10% of the initial cost of installation. The lifespan of a photovoltaic system, as estimated by the Solar Energy Services, is estimated to exceed 35 years, 25 of which are warranted.
“Let’s Green This City,” an organization sponsored by PG&E, states that each photo-voltaic system generates, on average, 1.3 kilowatts of energy, which is enough to power an entire classroom.
Another huge advantage to installing solar panels, as presented by the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency, is that installation of any photovoltaic system before December 31st, 2009 will be 100% exempt from taxation.
Obviously aware of these benefits, Caroline Asher, “Greenies” advisor, states that she is “100% for it. As a school, [going green] is one of our priorities.” Asher expresses concern that “as a district, we’re not following the state mandate. We’re saying to the students: ‘We’re not going to, but you should.’”
La Vigne’s opinion on the matter is that “energy conservation starts with the simple things.” When prompted to elaborate, La Vigne went on to reference his grandmother and how, if someone left the door open when the heater was on, she would joke that they shouldn’t be “heating the whole neighborhood.”
La Vigne also suggested that schools reduce the use of air conditioners and heaters in classrooms. “Can’t classes be [colder] and we just wear a sweater?” Gemma reassures that La Vigne “is working with our construction department to research solar energy and other means to conserve fossil fuels… [They] have arranged for a presentation by a solar energy consultant who will explain the new advances in solar energy panels.”
La Vigne elaborates that the “purpose of the meeting is to have a qualified vendor review what they see as the most important advances in solar cell generation of electrical power rather than a ‘hard sell’ of their particular brand.” Perhaps it’s time to stock up on sweaters.
Safe School Ambassador program takes students to new heights
At the beginning of the year Ms. Sidley and few other teachers came together to promote the Safe School Ambassador program. Teachers explain that the Safe School Ambassador program is a program that teach students skills to help prevent violence at school. They also share their opinion on a quote that reflects the program, "You can't hate someone when you know thier story". This reflects the program because understanding someone's "story" is important because it explains their actions. The Safe School Ambassador program is here on Woodside and supported.
