The CAP class at STRIVE Prep – RISE worked on two action projects this semester. One group worked on raising awareness on declining pollinator populations and the other group continued the solar power project from last semester. Those in the “bee group” made posters to hang up around school, describing what is happening to bee populations and ways we can help to mitigate the problems humans are causing. These students also baked treats made of local Colorado honey, promoting the benefits of buying and eating honey from local farms. Then they sold the baked goods at school, in hopes of donating the money to The HoneyBee Conservancy.

The “solar group” learned about the benefits of solar energy from previous CAP students and their own research. From there, the project manager came up with a revised design for solar-powered charging stations. Once the design plan was solidified and feasible, the fundraising team went to work. They started with selling dress down passes at school for $1.00 each. This event raised enough money for us to purchase concession snacks to sell after school. In the end, we raised almost $200 to use for solar materials. We also received a generous donation from Namaste Solar to purchase the actual solar panels. By the end of the semester, all of the needed materials were purchased, with hopes of building the charging stations during the spring semester.

Here’s what some CAP students had to say about their projects:

“My favorite experience in CAP class was doing the solar charging station project, because it involved a fundraiser. I had fun and learned a lot about solar panels that I didn’t know before, like that solar panels cost in between $2.87 and $3.85 per watt. Depending on how many watts you need, it can be expensive. I also had fun while making money for the supplies for the charging stations. Like the concession stand we did. It was fun to do concession stand and to make money, knowing you are doing it for a good cause.”

“Our project did not finish, but it was a great experience to interact with others. I think that most schools should include this class in their schools so students can learn the importance of our earth not dying.”

“A memory at CAP I loved the most was with the fundraising team we had in our action project. It was fun to sell chips and candy outside our school thinking that we were doing this for a good cause. I had fun because there were nice people who had great ideas and were actually giving time and effort in the project. In the end we made at least $150 that can be contributed to our action project of building a charging station.”

“While I do feel very strongly about bees, that wasn’t the only thing I got out of this project. This project also taught me new social and life skills. For example, I was the project manager, so being in that position gave me insight on what it means to be a leader. Another thing I got out of this project was the fact that even as a high school student, I have a voice in the environment. With the knowledge I got from this project, I can go and hold my own action project.”

Big thanks goes out to Namaste Solar for their support!

Written by CAP class instructor Christina Guevara

See more photos from our projects here!