Greenfield Community College has received a $50,000 grant from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative to train local high school teachers how to go green in their classes. The grant will fund stipends and supplies costs for teachers from four local schools to take courses at GCC that teach renewable energy technology techniques and theories.

The goal of the project is to create a cohesive renewable energies curriculum that spans from high school to college. Dale MacLeod, grants specialist at GCC, said the teachers who are taking courses at GCC will then create equivalent courses at their schools, which student will be able to take and receive credit from GCC. Two to four teachers from each pilot high school will be taking courses at GCC. Those schools are Franklin County Technical School, Smith Vocational Agricultural High School, Greenfield High School and the Mohawk Trail Regional High School.

The faculty at GCC will continue to work with the teachers to help them develop their courses and create articulation agreements between the college and the schools. The grant will help high school teachers buy materials for their courses and also provide money for them to go as a team to a major renewable energy workforce conference that happens at the Hudson Valley Community College in Troy each year. Another twenty middle and high school teachers from schools in the GCC service area will be able to attend a week-long workshop series in June of 2008 covering various renewable energy and sustainability topics which may be incorporated into their courses. They can use this information to teach their students about the emerging education pathways and employment opportunities in this industry.

President Robert Pura said this project is a great fit for the college, the schools and our community, with our history of commitment to sustainable energy, the environment, manufacturing and academics. "This is just smart for our community and GCC is pleased to be an active partner in this effort," Pura said. The renewable energies courses at GCC were launched last spring. They are offered both as noncredit and credit courses and are meant to provide community members and students with the skills to install and maintain the new green technology that can help cut back on our carbon emissions. There is a growing demand for this technology, but the supply of people who know how it works has not caught up to that demand.

Courses that have been taught include "introduction to photovoltaic technology" (panels that convert solar energy into electricity), "photovoltaic installation", "solar domestic hot water", "passive solar technology" and "energy conservation and efficiency." Teresa Jones, who is an adjunct instructor and the program coordinator for the renewable energy education courses, came up with the idea for the classes along with Brian Adams, professor of environmental studies and natural resources.

GCC received a grant four years ago from Northeast Utilities for Jones to develop and teach a course called "Sustainable Energy: Theory and Practices." It was the first time the college offered this kind of course it allows students to meet one of their lab science core curriculum requirements. It's been a popular course and it has served the regular student population well. Then, last fall Jones and Adams attended a conference on renewable energy workforce education and realized that the need for training would require a much more comprehensive program at GCC.

The Development Office soon went to work looking for funding to support such an initiative. This summer the college received a $372,000 grant from the Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund for a Sustainable Practices in Construction (SPC) project. The grant teamed GCC with local business to fund tuition and materials for employees at local business to take renewable energy courses. MacLeod sees this new high school to college pathway grant as an extension to that program. Jones said she thinks this is one of the best ways the college can fulfill its commitment to serve the community. "We are creating workforce opportunities, helping people fulfill their dreams and contributing to the greater sustainability of Franklin County and the planet," Jones said. The high school teachers will be taking courses over the next year and begin their own classes, in some cases, next spring. For more information about this grant, please contact Macleod at 775-1422.