School 'survives' without power (From Witney Gazette)

School 'survives' without power

9:00am Wednesday 27th September 2006 in Witney By Phil Vinter

PUPILS and staff at Clanfield Primary School turned out the lights and switched off the computers to see if they could survive a day without electricity.

Pupils took part in the experiment on Friday, to see how much power they could save in a school day. The event also linked in with the school's status as an Eco School, encouraging energy saving, and its quest to obtain Green Flag status.

Classes were illuminated by only natural light, and the traditional end-of-the-week 'happy half hour' treat playing games on the computers was replaced with board games.

During the morning, children went to nearby Friars Court, a former farm, which has been converted into a demonstration eco-house, featuring solar panels and a small wind turbine, to discover more about energy saving.

Year-ten pupil Lucy Snell, aged ten, said: "I am finding it quite hard, but I think I can manage it. Not having happy half-hour is hard, and it is a bit dark in the classroom, but it is not too bad."

Thomas Jones, eight, added: "It is a bit strange, but it is okay. I think more than a day would become a bit difficult because I like playing on the computers and smart boards. I'm going to try to keep it up for the rest of today when I get home though."

It wasn't only the children who had to struggle on without their normal source of power. Admin staff had to resort to old-fashioned methods, as the fax machine, photocopier, and phones became off limits.

Secretary, Nicola Graham, said: "I can't fax, can't email, can't do anything! It makes you realise how much you take for granted, silly things like receiving a fax. It definitely makes you stop and think, and use your brain a bit more, because you have to use pen and paper, as opposed to an Excel spreadsheet."

Not having White Board technology - an interactive screen linked to a computer - to help teach lessons, teachers had to resort to marker pens and paper to educate youngsters. But that wasn't their only frustration.

Healthy Schools co-ordinator, Mandy Warwick, who came up with the idea with the children, added: "The whole point of the day is to make us all aware of how much energy we use. The children are finding it fun, especially when it is dark.

"Mind you if it continued for the next few days and they were unable to use the computer, I think they would find it hard. I think it is an excellent way for the children to really see how much energy we actually use. Some of them have really taken it seriously, not using their electric toothbrushes and having cereal instead of cooked food for breakfast."