Diocesan schools beam over energy grants

By Ann Piasecki
Published Jul 13, 2007

ROMEOVILLE—Seven Catholic schools in the Diocese of Joliet—two high schools and five elementary—were awarded $75,000 worth of grants by British Petroleum Corp. during a June 21 ceremony at Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry.

The BP A+ Energy program was initiated three years ago in Texas and California, but this was first time it was offered to educational institutions in Illinois. A total of 95 schools in the state were awarded grants ranging from $5,000 to $10,000. BP officials announced that the corporation approved $5 million in grants and scholarships to pre-kindergarten through grade 12 teachers for innovative classroom, after-school, extra-curricular or summer projects focused on energy or conservation methodologies.   

The awards went to teachers, who on behalf of their schools, developed ways to incorporate innovative science initiatives into the curriculum. Jane Lagger, director of the education foundation for the Diocese of Joliet, together with Benedictine Sister Helen Jean Kormelink, superintendent of Catholic schools, attended the ceremony together with the teachers who devised the special curriculum adaptations that attracted the attention of BP officials. Immaculate Conception High School in Elmhurst and Joliet Catholic Academy, Joliet, each received a $10,000 grant.  St. Michael Elementary School in Wheaton was the only diocesan school to receive two grants worth a total of $20,000—both focus on raising awareness about energy and conservation within the pre-kindergarten through eighth-grade population.

Annamarie Boyle, science teacher at St. Michael’s, worked with the Center for Catholic School Effectiveness at Loyola University Chicago on a program dubbed Energy Ranger and Energy Awareness Ambassadors for students in grades five through eight. School spokesperson Kathleen Fitzpatrick stated, “The primary purpose of these projects is to promote student understanding of the 10 sources of energy, develop energy conservation behaviors and to become informed citizens of energy consumption.” While fifth and sixth graders are expected to collaborate on projects designed to identify and determine energy conservation methods, junior high school students are expected to “analyze, monitor, evaluate and apply principles of alternate sources of energy” in regard to solar energy and hydropower, she noted.

At JCA, science teacher Greg Vogen co-developed a curriculum aimed at studying energy conversion methods, relying primarily on a ready supply of fried fat from the school’s own cafeteria and comparing it to petroleum for its level of efficiency. The idea, he said, is to study the process of “converting a biodegradable plant product,” in this case vegetable oil, while analyzing it in terms of costs and efficiency.

The program is anticipated to meld easily within the overall science curriculum, offering insights to students in Advance Placement chemistry, environmental science and general chemistry. In a June 21 conversation with the Catholic Explorer, Vogen added that the school is looking to generate coordinated programs based on the energy study across the curriculum. The school received a $10,000 grant, which is intended to purchase equipment, such as calorimeters and burners that would benefit the overall science program, while enabling teachers to enhance the study of science in a variety of ways.

At ICHS, science instructor Maria Scott authored a program to study alternative sources of energy as well as petroleum by way of debating the issues. Meanwhile, Our Lady of Peace Elementary School in Darien was awarded for its green roof project, authored by teacher Patricia Kren; teacher Charlene Klein of St. John the Baptist Elementary School in Winfield created an award winning program entitled “Middle School Exploration of Energy and Conservation;” Mary Pragovich of St. Joseph Elementary School in Lockport penned a project called “Solar Daze” and Bernadette Plese of St. Rose of Lima Elementary School in Wilmington devised a science study entitled “Coal Connections.”

Speaking of the commitment and performance demonstrated by teachers working at Catholic schools diocesan-wide, Sister Kormelink said, “I’m very proud of them. It proves the level of professionalism exhibited in the Catholic schools.”