Colleen Fox, A Teacher Who is Making a Difference

Has your 9^th grade student been auditing your home’s energy usage, asking to view your PSE bill on-line and talking about ways to conserve energy? Has he/she been talking about how hydrogen fuel cells work to power a car and the “race” in the class room?  If so your student must be in Ms Colleen Fox’s 9^th grade science class.  

 Colleen brings together her love for teaching science with her passion for building a “greener” future.  She finds creative ways to expose students to exciting new technologies being developed in the world today.   Colleen received a grant in December 2008 from The Community Foundation For Coupeville Public Schools to purchase solar powered hydrogen fuel cell car kits.  They are a hands-on tool for numerous experiments that fit in well to the 9^th grade curriculum, which focuses on electricity and connections between science, technology, and society.    The students have been working on testing variables that could increase the efficiency of the hydrogen fuel cell.   They put their conclusions to work by participating in a culminating "race".

Colleen is also working closely with Terry Welch (8th grade science teacher) and Alexia Hemphill (a senior student) on a project called the Cool School challenge.  The objective of this project is to reduce the school’s carbon footprint class room by class room.   In addition this same group is working together with Cathy d’Almeida to procure a grant for solar panels at the high school.   

Click any of these pictures to see a slide show of this project in action!