Agawam Cooler Community Challenge update provided at meeting

April 22, 2019 | Carling Willis
carling@thereminder.com

Retired Agawam High School science teacher Rick Joseph and Assistant Superintendent Sheila Hoffman presented an update on the Cooler Community Challenge during the School Committee meeting.
Town of Agawam Vimeo screen capture

AGAWAM – At the Agawam School Committee meeting on April 9, Assistant Superintendent Sheila Hoffman and retired Agawam High School science teacher, Rick Joseph were in attendance to present an update of The Agawam Cooler Community Challenge. Hoffman introduced herself and Joseph by telling the committee how Joseph was her science teacher in high school and how happy she is to be working with him again.

Agawam was made a designated green community in 2017 and the Energy Commission was formed in 2018 in order to help seek out other ways to improve energy use within the community.

“The Agawam Cooler Community Challenge is a great opportunity for residents in Agawam to consider using more renewable resources, using conservation and less energy,” said Joseph, “With a global impact and climate change, this whole project is responsible for asking residents to join us in that effort.”

Joseph continued to share with the committee that every grade level at every school in Agawam is participating in the program. This has been made possible by teachers in Agawam incorporating the mission of The Cooler Community Challenge into their curriculum. To participate, the students are putting together projects on the subject of renewable energy and conservation.

All of the student’s projects will be on display at the Cooler Community Expo on May 23 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at Agawam High School. At this expo there will also be local companies hoping to teach residents about opportunities for them to incorporate renewable energy techniques into their homes. There will be local solar companies, home energy audit companies, high efficiency furnace and heat pump companies. There will be car dealerships in attendance with model electric cars and plug in cars. The Center for Eco Technology will also be at the expo to educate the public on options for lower income families to have access to more affordable ways to switch to renewable energy and conservation in their homes.

Joseph and Hoffman have also reached out to town committees, school departments, and the police and fire departments in town to personally invite them to attend the expo.

“This is actually a wonderful opportunity for the entire community to join together in an effort that has local application and global implications,” commented Joseph.

The Cooler Community Challenge is hoping to have any donations made be targeted to a specific topic such as teacher training and workshops, field trips or science fairs, or greenhouse repairs in town. With targeted donations, the goal is to use donations to continue educating and spreading knowledge throughout Agawam and its residents.

At the conclusion of Joseph’s and Hoffman’s presentation, it was all positive reactions and inquires from the school committee. Committee member Kerri O’Connell simply commented what and amazing job this was and thanked them for their hard work. Committee member, Wendy Rua, asked Joseph and Hoffman how they are getting teachers to participate in The Cooler Community Challenge. They answered by saying they have reached out to many STEM teachers who are excited to implement these ideas.

For more information on the Cooler Community Expo, flyers will be distributed around town along with social media posts and updates on Facebook and Instagram.

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