Rock Creek Community Academy in Sellersburg is nearing completion on installing new solar energy panels, an initiative funded through Samtec that Superintendent Jennifer Brown said could save the charter school up to $1 million over the next 30 years. When school goes back into session Aug. 6, students in science, math and elective classes will also reap the benefits of the solar panels, which will be used to teach them about environmental conservation.
Rock Creek Community Academy in Sellersburg is nearing completion on installing new solar energy panels, an initiative funded through Samtec that Superintendent Jennifer Brown said could save the charter school up to $1 million over the next 30 years. When school goes back into session Aug. 6, students in science, math and elective classes will also reap the benefits of the solar panels, which will be used to teach them about environmental conservation.
SELLERSBURG — A Southern Indiana charter school is nearly finished with a new solar energy project expected to generate significant long-term savings over the next 30 years and teach students about environmental conservation.
For the past three weeks, said Superintendent Jennifer Brown, Rock Creek Community Academy has undergone the installation of solar panels on the roof of its Sellersburg campus, the realization of a goal the school set in motion two years ago. With Duke Energy now working to install the necessary electrical components, the energy-saving project is set to be finished in time for the 2026-27 school year, which begins at Rock Creek on Aug. 6.
Brown said the solar panel system will help save the school money on utility costs and provide a unique opportunity to teach Rock Creek students about solar energy by providing a real-world example on campus.
“We just really wanted to bring the STEM aspect into our building,” she said, referring to science, technology, engineering and math. “The solar arrays, they’re just massive, hands-on teaching tools. The students can track the energy production and learning about the data analysis, engineering and environmental part of it. We’re really excited about that.”
Originally suggested by former principal Sara Hauselman, the Rock Creek staff have been working to make the vision a reality for a long time, Brown said. Past the paperwork and legal details that had to be sorted, as a charter school, the academy does not receive local tax funds to build or maintain its facilities or to cover transportation costs, meaning the school gathers much of the money it needs to run through fundraising, donations and partnerships.
To get the solar program off the ground, Brown said, Rock Creek worked with Fort Wayne-based philanthropic organization 80/20 Foundation Trust, which helped the school find a financial sponsor in Samtec. She said Samtec had never partnered with a school before and was excited to do so, leading the company to fully fund the solar energy installation itself at no cost to Rock Creek.
“It became more of a blessing to our school than we ever imagined,” she said. “We were pioneering the whole thing, and Samtec loved that and wanted to be a part of it. They just kind of jumped in on the back end of it and made the whole thing just come to light.”
Solar panels typically last anywhere from 25 to 30 years, but reaping the cost-saving benefits can take an average of 10 years, according to solar provider Solar Energy World. Still, Brown said, her school has struggled in the past with the fluctuating utility bills that come with having a large building, and the solar installation is expected to save Rock Creek up to $1 million in energy costs over its lifespan — money that can be reinvested into the everyday needs of students and staff.
“Over the years, we’ve not always been able to keep up with everyone else’s salaries as far as the schools around us, because they’re getting different money than we’re getting,” she said. “But we really have tried to stay comparable with our staff, because we want to be sure we’re providing the same high-level teachers.”
As superintendent, she said, she’s most looking forward to seeing students learn about and explore solar energy. Once the panels are fully installed, teachers in science, math and elective classes will begin using them as a tool to create solar energy projects for students, which will be paired with the natural forest area also being built at the school.
“Our science department is very excited,” Brown said. “Currently, we’re making a forest on our property with a fire pit, and they’re going to grow different plants, fruits and vegetables that we can be using in our kitchen. We’re trying to teach our students better ways of doing things; we want to reduce the carbon footprint. These are the kinds of things that do that.”
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