5 NHC schools awarded $500 for energy conservation efforts | Children

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WECT) – A handful of New Hanover County elementary schools recently won $500 cash prizes for winning the NHCS Energy Conservation Contest.

New Hanover County Schools teamed up with an energy management company called EduCon for more than a year to help reduce the amount of energy used and the costs that go along with it, according to an EduCon spokesperson.

Recent results show that the school system saved almost $1 million through the program.

Five out of the 12 participating schools completed the challenge of earning perfect scores on three energy audits, earning them $500 cash prizes per school.

The winning elementary schools are as follows:

• Codington
• Pine Valley
• Murrayville
• Alderman
• Parsley

One school leader recalls how her school completed the challenge of conserving energy.

“Pine Valley Elementary is certainly challenged with energy conservation with every door opening to the outside,” said Rebecca Higgins-Opgrand, Principal of Pine Valley Elementary School, in a statement. “Administration did classroom walk-throughs after school to turn off computers and to remind individuals of the ‘new habit we needed to develop’. The students were excited and some students began to take responsibility for turning off computers, monitors, and printers before dismissal.” 

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