Photo courtesy of KDS DAR High School

TVA Rewards Educators’ Energetic Efforts

The Kate Duncan Smith Daughters of the American Revolution School will be making energy-efficiency improvements to its historic campus with $210,000 in grants awarded through the Tennessee Valley Authority’s EnergyRight School Uplift program.

KDS was the only Alabama school to win the Uplift program’s highest award, a $200,000 building energy-upgrade grant that went to just 6 out of 98 participating schools across TVA’s Southeast region. KDS also earned a $10,000 learning environment grant provided to each school participating in the 2024 through 2025 program.

TVA based the funding awards on the scores schools achieved by cutting their energy waste and engaging their school community, plus a needs-based assessment that determined which facilities could achieve the greatest energy savings.

The Grant school’s planned projects include installing high-efficiency HVAC systems and LED lighting across its campus, upgrading building insulation and energy management systems, conducting solar panel integration feasibility studies, and developing student-led sustainability clubs and curriculum resources, according to TVA’s official announcement.

“These projects are expected to significantly reduce utility costs and improve indoor air quality, directly impacting student focus, attendance, and teacher satisfaction,” KDS High School Principal Larry Bolin says.

Under the leadership of energy champion Laurie Gluck, who teaches chemistry and biology at KDS High School, students spent months learning key lessons in energy conservation and the value of engaging communities in sustainability efforts. From low-cost behavioral changes to impactful infrastructure upgrades, the School Uplift program served as a launching pad for long-term energy planning.

Together, KDS staffers and students created a campus-wide energy efficiency program that combined classroom instruction, energy pep rallies, and coordinated actions designed to conserve energy during school breaks. The grants will help the school put that program into action.

TVA launched the School Uplift program in 2021 to invest in students’ futures by offering energy-efficiency training and funding to reduce energy costs and improve a school’s learning environment. To date, TVA has invested about $8.2 million to help 323 schools save on their energy bills.