By KEVIN COUTURE
ROUSES POINT -- Northeastern Clinton Central School District is part of the national movement to conserve energy.
Last fall, a solar panel was installed outside Rouses Point Elementary School, in conjunction with the Independent Energy Efficiency Program, which provides energy efficiency and renewable resources to municipal electric utilities and the Village of Rouses Point.
The project is working well in many ways.
Standing in front of the solar panel on a windy spring morning, Mayor George Rivers said, "This is a teaching tool. It teaches children how to create power. It also provides some electricity to the school."
The panel, which will also serve as a weather station for the students, will save the district 3,144 kilowatts of energy per year.
"I think it is wonderful," said Robb Garrand, in his first year as principal at Rouses Point Elementary. "It is another resource for the school. It's another way to conserve energy, and the kids are excited to track the weather."
Stressing that young people are the future, Rivers said, "The installation of this renewable-energy project will have a long-lasting impact on our electric system, the school system and our students."
Chuckling, he concluded, "The country is going green, one way or another."
