feature
by Allie Ravid
let th e sun sh 1 11 ta
V .7
hen you drive by West
Bloomfield High School
on Orchard Lake Road,
you may notice a new structure. It's
not modern art — it's Southeastern
Michigan's newest and largest track-
ing solar energy array; and it was
funded almost entirely by students
and community members.
WBHS' Earth Club is the largest
club in school. More than 70 kids
show up to each meeting, and more
than 100 are on the club roster. At any
given meeting, you'll see kids making
posters with Earth facts and meeting
dates, planning fundraisers and brain-
storming ideas on how to "green up"
their student body.
The Earth Club was created in
1993 with the goal of promoting envi-
ronmental awareness.
"We wanted to make the student
body more aware, and we knew we'd
have to do something special to make
the kids pay attention," said Joshua
Barclay, the founding club sponsor
and a physics teacher at the school.
That something special is South-
eastern Michigan's largest solar track-
ing array, which was installed in
front of the school in January. The
pole-mounted, 3.4-kilowatt array will
gather energy from the sun and feed
it to the school. The energy gathered
will be enough to power two to three
classrooms — or a house. Every week
an Earth Club member will post the
total energy savings to the school's
, .
WBHS Earth Club erects region's first energy-gathering solar array.
digital sign facing Or-
chard Lake Road.
It's called a "tracking"
solar array because it
will slowly rotate to fol-
low where the sun shines
brightest. This technology
is supposed to make this
type of array 40 percent
more efficient than sta-
tionary solar panels.
To acquire the mas-
sive 20-foot by 11-foot
solar array, the club ap-
plied for many grants to
fund the $44,000 needed
to build the array. Energy Mlle Ravid, secretary of the West Bloomfield High School Earth
Works Michigan offered a Club, stands under the school's new solar energy array.
grant for $12,000, and the
remaining $32,000 was
raised through private donations and a variety of fundraisers, including Fair
Earth Club fundraisers. A large por- Trade coffee sales, restaurant fund-
tion of the funds came from the Mel raisers and reusable bag sales.
But the biggest fundraiser was the
Barclay Energy Education Fund, cre-
ated in honor of physics teacher Bar- engraved paver sale. The base of the
clay's late father, who was a physician array will be made of pavers engraved
with messages from donors who paid
and renewable energy pioneer.
The students succeeded in raising $350 for each one.
"We had a LOT of selling to do,"
the rest of the money needed through
So, what can you do?
said sophomore Noah Betman.
"It wasn't always fun, but in the
end it was so worth it!"
Earth Club continues to grow
and still has much on its agenda.
"Club membership has gone
up more than 150 percent this
year," said Earth Club President
Aryn Fromm, a sophomore.
While this may have to do
with an overall decrease in the
number of clubs at WBHS this
year, all members are genuinely
interested in the club's message.
Earth Club plans include
continuing to educate students
and the community on ways to
save the environment.
Members want to stress the
importance of doing energy-effi-
cient measures. WBHS only got the
grant because the school had already
done efficiency measures. Students
are urging others to do them, too,
feeling that when just a few people
care it can make a whole world of dif-
ference. For example, $500 of attic
insulation could save as much energy
as a $44,000 solar array.
"I love Earth Club because it gives
me a way to give back," said junior
Leah Zerbib.
•Insulate your home. Most of the energy lost in homes is from air penetration. Plug your
leaks with caulk and insulate you attic.
•Use more efficient appliances. The most important ones to be
"green" with are your
refrigerator, air conditioner and dishwasher.
Allie Ravid, 16, is a
Junior at West
• Change your incandescent light bulbs to CFLs. They use one-third the amount of
power and each one will save you around $40-$50 over the course of its lifetime.
Bloomfield High School.
She is secretary of the
WBHS Earth Club.
feature
by Ari Weil
b e a leader! check out BBYO's Young Leadership Conclave in March.
F
or most teens, the weekend
. sleep + hanging out with
friends. Learning how to be-
come a leader usually does not come
into the equation. However, for teens
in BBYO, the Lawrence Hyman
Young Leadership Conclave (or YLC
for short) is a weekend jam-packed
with activities to turn an average teen
into a true leader.
The weekend (either March 11-13
or 18-20) is held at the David L. Bitt-
ker Center in Ortonville, where two
teen coordinators run the program,
teaching the ins and outs of BBYO
and leadership. Activities include
learning the history and traditions of
BBYO, how to effectively organize a
meeting, how to run for a chapter po-
sition and make a platform.
YLC is not just about becoming a
leader; bonding activities and "chill
time" lets participants meet other
BBYO members who will be part of the
organization with them throughout
high school.
Andy Sonenberg, a former YLC co-
ordinator from Al Jolson AZA, said,
"YLC is the quintessential weekend for
any new member to further their BBYO
knowledge and create friendships that
transcend chapter lines and that will
last a lifetime."
Another former YLC coordinator,
Allie Ravid from Savage BBG, added,
"Young Leadership Conclave is one of
1140041.4 6.4 RfttION
the best programs BBYO has to offer.
My freshman year, YLC inspired me to
become a BBYO leader."
Sign up at B-
linked.org.
Ari Weil, 17, Is a junior
at Harrison High School
in Farmington Hills.
teen2teen February 17, 2011. TT3