Local fifth graders teach, learn how 'to make a better world' Published Nov. 17, 2009 By Janaé Daniels AEDC/PA Arnold Air Force Base, Tenn. -- The fifth grade energy team at Robert E. Lee Elementary School in Tullahoma wants to make a difference in their community. So teacher advisers Kathy Hagler and Sherry Roepke contacted Aerospace Testing Alliance's (ATA) Kathy Nichols, section manager, design technical support, to initiate a partnership with the energy team. "ATA is working to advance energy awareness and invited the team to visit," Nichols explained. "One of the goals of the team is to educate others about energy-related topics and that's why ATA invited them to do a skit for the OGM [office of the general manager] meeting." ATA Deputy General Manager Steve Pearson said in the next six months, ATA will be working with the Air Force to re-emphasize energy conservation. "We will be working with the government to establish goals for the next six month period," he explained. "The one message we wanted the kids from Lee Elementary to help us send is this is something we can all contribute to making successful. Energy saved is money saved or money put to better use. It also saves the environment from a little less pressure." Many of the students have parents or grandparents who are employed here and the purpose of the visit was to obtain information about recycling efforts at AEDC. "We have lived in this community for many years and are familiar with this facility," Roepke said. "We contacted Kathy and she organized our tour. We also wanted to present our skit to interested groups." AEDC Financial Management Specialist Debbie Coffelt's daughter Sarah was one of the team members. "Sarah has always shown an interest in science and conservation," Coffelt said. "She has a genuine concern for our planet and makes sure our family does its part. We have recycle bins for paper, cardboard, plastic and cans." Coffelt says the Energy Team is providing a tremendous learning experience and exposure to many different businesses and schools. "The opportunity for Sarah to speak and perform in front of audiences at age 11 will no doubt give her confidence and benefit her in her educational endeavors in the years ahead." The goals of the team, according to Roepke, are to educate others about recycling, energy conservation and alternative sources of energy. The team is also working on developing student leadership skills. ATA Energy Conservation Program Manager John McInturff helped provide general information or questions that came up during the visit. "I thought the environmental group did a great job in showing the efforts that the base takes in its recycling program," McInturff said. "The students and teachers seemed to be impressed by the facility and the bales of cans, cardboard, etc. The students skit was also very entertaining." Pearson thought the skit had a good message as well. "The skit was great, the message was sound, but I was most impressed with the enthusiasm of the kids and their teachers in promoting good stewardship of our environment and natural resources," Pearson said. "Kids can teach grownups, and they can do it very effectively. It's hard to ignore a child trying to make a better world." Ben Partin, ATA Hazardous Waste Operations Group team leader, also toured the students and teachers to show them AEDC recycling efforts. "We visited the scrap metal yard (looked from outside the fence at scrap metal and electrical wiring), recycling operations center (looked outside the building at bales of paper, aluminum cans and plastic bottles), the oil recycling center (toured the facility) and recycling bins outside Warehouse 2 (for cardboard)," Partin said. "I honestly thought the students were very interested in recycling and excited to be on the tour. All of them genuinely seemed to enjoy the questions while the bus was moving from place to place." Roepke and Hagler enjoyed learning more about AEDC as well as the center's recycling efforts. "The facility for recycling cardboard, plastic and cans was interesting since we had not seen 'bales' of recycled material before," Hagler said. "We were also interested in the oil recycling facility and the process completed there." The group of 14 fifth-graders was also able to take something away from this visit the teachers said. "They indicated that they gained knowledge about the wind tunnels and how they work and how AEDC is making a strong effort to recycle many different items," Roepke said. "They thought the oil tank was 'cool' and they didn't realize how much recycling was taking place there." The team is part of a national organization, National Energy Education Development Project (NEED). The Robert E. Lee School team is featured in the 2009 annual report of NEED. "The advisers are doing a great job, with previous teams winning state-level awards and being listed in the top five teams nationally," Nichols commented.