Penn State connects with K-12 schools to enhance sustainability efforts

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Working with recycled cardboard, scissors, tape and maybe a little elbow grease, teams of school teachers constructed blades for miniature wind turbines during the opening day of the 2025 Penn State K-12 Sustainability Summit.

“We learned all about energy and energy transfer. Then, we had to build a wind turbine and decide what kind of blades we would change out to get the maximum voltage,” said Megan Altebrando, a computer science and STEM teacher for Montoursville Area School District in Lycoming County.

She and the other educators were getting a crash course in the PA KidWind Challenge. The challenge, offered through the Penn State Center for Science and the Schools, is an opportunity for Pennsylvania students to compete by designing and building efficient miniature wind turbines, with the possibility of advancing to the national competition.

The demonstration is just one example of how 47 educators from 28 school districts and educational agencies from across the commonwealth were connected to Penn State resources, programs and opportunities available for teachers, students and school districts during the Penn State K-12 Sustainability Summit.

“This is great, and something I will probably use since I teach STEM,” said Altebrando after testing her team’s wind turbine. “At our district, we are always looking for innovations and sustainable options that students can do. This summit shares ways students can be engaged and bring sustainability to life at our schools.”

The two-day summit was hosted by Penn State Outreach’s Readiness Institute at Penn State and Penn State Sustainability in collaboration with KnowledgeWorks. Programing included tours of the Arboretum at Penn State, the Penn State Sustainable Lab Consultants program, the Sustainability Experience Center, Penn State dining halls and the Dr. Keiko Miwa Ross Student Farm at Penn State, giving educators an up-close look at University-wide sustainability efforts.

Peter Boger, director for engagement for Penn State Sustainability, said school districts across the state play significant roles in sustainability efforts by modeling and teaching young students the importance of ensuring the world is livable for future generations. He said Penn State is here to help schools with those efforts.

“I hope when these educators head back home, they feel like they have a partner in Penn State and that it is an active partner. There is a community here that is ready and eager to work with them,” Boger said. “Penn State has all sorts of opportunities, both to model and also to consult on how schools can operate more sustainability, and we have all these units that are built around how we can help you teach sustainability.”

During the final day of the summit, the educators gathered at Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center to share some sustainability efforts their districts are working to incorporate. Amanda Smith, director of K-12 engagement for the Readiness Institute, said it provided an opportunity for schools to learn from each other and discover new possibilities that they might not know existed.

“It’s been both eye-opening and inspiring to see the range of innovative projects and ideas emerging across the commonwealth,” Smith said. “Schools from all over Pennsylvania are connecting here, and it’s rewarding for them to discover how Penn State can help seed, support and grow their initiatives. As a land-grant institution, our mission is to work hand-in-hand with communities to understand their needs and create meaningful impact — and K–12 education remains at the very heart of those communities.”

Smith said the connections made and work done over the course of two days was only the beginning, with opportunities for seed-grant funding and fellowship programs available for those who participated.

“This doesn’t end here. It is a yearlong journey and beyond,” Smith said. “I am honored and thrilled by the direction we’re heading with these outstanding schools across our commonwealth. Together, we’re setting a bold new course for what K-12 and university partnerships can truly look like.”

Technology education teacher AJ Mannarino from Allegheny County’s South Fayette School District was back at the summit for the second year. He said connecting with Penn State has enhanced his school’s sustainability efforts in multiple ways, such as helping to complete feasibility studies for a solar initiative and an outdoor classroom.

“Without meetings like this, we would never know that was an option,” Mannarino said. “So, to have the knowledge of what goes on here at Penn State and take some of that back to South Fayette is invaluable.”

For Kelly Stringer, a life science, ecology and aquaponics teacher at Dubois Area School District that serves Clearfield and Jefferson Counties, connecting with like-minded educators from schools across the state was inspirational.

“It is just so helpful. You go back with your cup full because you are energized again and share it with your students,” Stringer said. “There are so many teachers taking their own time to come here and learn about all these resources. Coming to this makes me really happy because I often feel kind of isolated at my school, so this gives me hope for the state of Pennsylvania.”