We Share Solar

We Share Solar

We Share Solar’s Hands-On STEM Program Lights Up New Jersey Classrooms, Inspires Students to Light the World

With a flip of a switch, students are discovering they can build a better future for themselves while addressing energy poverty locally and globally. Thanks to a grant from All Points North Foundation, at least five middle schools from New Jersey’s Newark and Orange School Districts will gain real-world science and engineering skills, leaning into and learning about one of the fastest-growing occupations in the country – solar photovoltaic installations.

The grant to We Share Solar (WSS), the education arm of We Care Solar, will provide professional development training to teachers in the principles of solar electricity and support them in implementing the hands-on Solar Suitcase STEM education and global service-learning program in their schools. This effort is anchored by multilevel support from the Center for PreCollege Programs in a continuing decade-long partnership with Rutgers University to ensure sustainability and mentorship.

Participants will receive adaptable online curriculum and teacher webinars, six Solar Suitcases with solar lab equipment for their classrooms and a stand-alone electric system to be deployed, lighting the lives of students across the globe. This real-world impact motivates and inspires educational engagement, deepens learning outcomes, and prepares students for global citizenship and impactful careers.

Formally launched in 2013, We Share Solar has introduced solar STEM education programs across an estimated dozen states and countries. The education program boasts a 94% teacher retention rate thanks to its comprehensive supports and on-call access to WSS staff.

In 2022, funding from All Points North Foundation helped its Minnesota program expand over sixfold in just five years. The new grant will engage more than 300 students from New Jersey’s diverse school districts, with more than half the student population from economically disadvantaged communities. This “learn, build, share” program provides a learning platform for STEM and solar education, offering students a meaningful experience about a future that is more equitable and theirs to seize as a pathway into college and careers.

For more information: www.wesharesolar.org

Photo credit: Far on Foot / Stephen Maturen / Photo release covered by Hopkins Public Schools

All Points North Foundation provides grants for U.S.-based projects and initiatives that support our priorities: improving public middle school education and teacher training, and implementing effective solar programs and/or projects.

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