Grade 9 students got hands-on, building and coding miniature solar panels that mirror the real technology on their own school’s roof
KITCHENER, ON – When it comes to learning about renewable energy, most students are familiar with solar panels. They see them on rooftops of homes, warehouses, and office buildings. But it’s far less common to find a school powered entirely by solar energy — and that’s exactly what Rockway Mennonite Collegiate in Ontario, Canada has achieved.
Last year, Rockway Mennonite installed more than 850 solar panels on its roof, making the school fully powered by renewable energy. When Forward Education, headquartered just minutes away, heard about this project, the team wanted to take it one step further: What if students could explore this same technology firsthand in their own classroom?
Using Forward Education’s Smart Solar Energy Kit, Grade 9 students at Rockway investigated solar power in action. They measured voltage and current from miniature solar arrays, coded their micro:bits to collect and analyze data, and explored how factors like light intensity and panel orientation affect power output. The goal was not only to reinforce curriculum concepts around energy generation but to immerse students in a hands-on learning experience that mirrors the renewable technology powering their school.
For many of the 24 participating students — most of whom already had some coding experience — this was the first time they saw the intersection of software, hardware, and sustainable infrastructure come alive in the classroom. What they had once studied as theory became tangible as they shifted from learning about energy generation to actively experimenting with it.
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Bridging Classroom Learning and Career Possibilities
Introducing career exploration early in high school helps students envision their futures and make more informed decisions about post-secondary paths. Forward Education’s approach emphasizes not only coding and digital literacy but also the real-world applications of these skills.
By bringing renewable energy technology into the classroom on a student scale, workshops like this help learners imagine themselves as renewable energy engineers, data scientists, or environmental technicians — roles that are critical to a sustainable future.
The experience also aligns with broader educational goals: integrating coding and digital literacy across subjects, linking STEM with social responsibility, and preparing students for emerging careers in green technology. Schools like Rockway are leading the way — with their visible commitment to sustainability, students can look up at the solar panels above them and see how their classroom learning connects to the world beyond school walls.
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Inspiring the Next Generation of Innovators
When students see real technology in action — measuring energy, coding data, or observing cause and effect — learning becomes tangible. It’s a reminder that some of the most powerful classroom experiences happen when students connect their lessons to the world around them. By bringing real-world systems, tools, and challenges into the classroom, educators can spark curiosity that lasts long after the lesson ends.
About Rockway Mennonite Collegiate
Rockway is a dynamic Christian Anabaptist school of over 280 domestic and international students from grades 7 to 12. As a school community, their goal is to prepare our students for a life in a world that is rich in opportunity, alive with beauty and filled with complex challenges.
