Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Ohio School Gains Updated Cooling and Lighting — and Functional Atomic Clock

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 08/01/19

An Ohio school district tackled its outdated energy systems with the help of an energy service company and regained a functioning atomic clock in the process. Howland Local Schools worked with Plug Smart to implement new air conditioning and LED lighting.

Along with those infrastructure updates, the district launched a capital campus campaign to raise funds and make the community aware of the district's aging facilities. As part of that initiative, the schools ran a contest asking students to give their best guesses about "What made the clock stop?" The clock, which resides in the tower of the high school, ceased functioning many decades ago. Suggestions from the students included lightning strikes, the arrival of aliens, global warming and a solar eclipse.

In addition to dealing with the broken clock, the district was in urgent need of modernized cooling systems and more energy efficient lighting. Plug Smart structured a replacement program for the air conditioning units in the high school, middle school and three elementary schools, along with installation of more energy-efficient lighting that's expected to cut the district's electric bill by 53 percent, offsetting its own cost in under 10 years, according to the company.

Plug Smart also tapped its own community service funds to fix the clock. That part of the work was jobbed out to a regional specialty firm, which used as many of the legacy parts as possible in the repair.

"While Howland may never know why the clock stopped working, we'll always remember why it started again: This team banded together and addressed these problems without putting the burden on the taxpayers," said Superintendent, Kevin Spicher, in a statement. "Not only will Plug Smart's energy efficiency project installations help us to create a more comfortable learning environment for our students, but they will also aid us in reducing our ongoing energy costs and carbon footprint."

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Hawaii Elementary School Reopens Following $25M Campus Modernization

    Haʻaheo Elementary School in Hilo, Hawaii, has reopened to students following a three-year, $25-million campus modernization and expansion project that significantly increases the school's instructional space while preserving one of the island's oldest educational institutions, according to local news.

  • Cleveland High School Breaks Ground on Modernization

    Portland Public Schools in Portland, Ore., recently announced that construction has begun on a modernization project for Cleveland High School, according to a news release. The existing building will be replaced with a new, 300,000-square-foot facility at the same site.

  • Minnesota District Opens New PreK–12 School

    Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop Schools in Gibbon, Minn., recently announced that construction is complete on a new, $68.9-million school for students in grades PreK–12, according to a news release.

  • St. John Fisher University

    Classroom Revitalization – Basil Hall Room 216

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. St. John Fisher University's Basil Hall Room 216 Classroom Revitalization has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Project of Distinction award in the category of Spaces.