Fueling up in the classroom

By Lindsey Ward

Published: May 12, 2008

With no relief in sight for soaring gas prices, creating alternative energy has entered the classroom.
   
Johnny Alerding and Shaymus Hudson will soon head off to college to major in engineering, but the lessons in their pre-engineering class at Jackson River Governors School, extend far beyond the next four years.

“I decided this year we should do something that deals with environmental issues,” said Chuck Bartocci, Class Instructor.

After a lot of pouring, measuring and mixing, Bartocci has taught them how to reduce dependency on foreign oil, one of the biggest environmental issues right now.
   
By taking grease from the college’s café, Alerding and Hudson have turned it into bio diesel fuel.

“It can be a very good alternative, a small alternative to oil and it could be one of the many solutions to the oil crisis we have right now,” said student, Johnny Alerding.

“We need something else and pretty much any study, any interest, any learning about other ways of getting power I guess is good,” Shaymus Hudson said.

Once students finish up in the classroom they take their final product outside to fuel a truck.  It may not be a lot of fuel, but instructors say it’s a start.

“By learning more about alternative energy fuels, they may right now be learning about something that’s small, but it will give them the spark,” said Julie Drewry, Jackson River Governors School Director.

It could be a spark to ignite interest that one day you and I can fill up on. 

Each semester, this class studies a different engineering project.