In a continued effort to provide its students with the latest technology, the North Point High School for Science, Technology and Industry unveiled its new solar array on Monday afternoon.  The array was installed outside the electrical classroom and gives students the ability to learn about alternative technologies.

“This is a (photovoltaic ray) and we were given this by the partnership with the (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers),” North Point senior Alex Colaciello said.  “They’ve given a lot to our electrical program. It also shows alternative energy and how our school system is starting to use and how we’ll start leaning about solar energy.”

“It’s a great opportunity for us,” North Point senior Blake Jackson said.  “In the near future, alternative energy is going to be very important so this gives us a great opportunity to learn more about that.  The IBEW has donated a lot to us and helps us to learn with more expensive equipment.  We can learn about solar voltaic and that can be very important to us in the future.  We need alternative energy.”

 

“That’s an awesome opportunity,” Keith Gascon, electrical teacher at North Point High School, said.  “It’s not something everybody is doing, especially in the educational end of it.  These are the alternative energy, that’s the wave of the future.  We’re always looking to upgrade and find more examples of alternative energy.  It’s exciting and it’s the future.”

“I didn’t have this in high school,” Kim Hill, Principal at North Point High School, said.  “Our motto here at North Point High School is ‘the real world starts here, create your own tomorrow.’  The real world technology that we can bring to kids, whether it’s in electrical technology or any of our programs here, we want to get kids ready for their real world.  For us to be able to work with the IBEW to bring in cutting edge technology so our kids can come out understanding sustainable energy and solar energy and how it can be infused with our old school systems is just a benefit to our kids.”

The solar array was donated to North Point High School by the Washington, D.C. Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee and was installed by T&B Electric Co. out of Crofton, MD.

Contact Andy Marquis at andy.m@thebaynet.com.