Senai Rivas
Solar panels in front of school
Over the summer, construction began on the southern and western edges of the school for new installations that appear to be a rectangular assembly layered with silicone, covered by white lines resembling boxes in rows. Solar panels, which aren’t solely a spot to hide from the sun, could be the beginning of green energy being introduced to schools all across SMUHSD, with Mills being one of the schools to begin its reusable energy journey.
“It has a lot of benefits,” Principal Duszynski said. “First of all, it’s solar energy, and we know as we face climate change that we have to do more green energy in order to lower our emissions and try to address climate change … Some of the more local benefits for our school in particular is that it provides more shade for our students around the campus,” she emphasized. “The third benefit that I’ve noticed is that it provides more lighting for our campus.”
For students, it seems to be something that’s already taking part in their daily lives. “In the very front, there’s a whole bunch of shade now because of them, so I hang out there when it’s really sunny,” said Brenda Chavez (12). She mentioned it seems to be benefiting her on the days when she just wants to relax.
Most construction is finished, but there are still a few things that aren’t done. As Duszynski said, “I just really wanna thank our staff and our students for being flexible with that. And at this time, I think they’re pretty much complete. They still have a little cleanup to do with some of the storage that they’re keeping in the west parking lot and the porta-potties in the front lot.”
This project, which took place from the start of summer, is finally coming to an end and will soon mark the beginning of something new from the school district, with Duszynski involved, to help Mills start its journey with renewable energy. This initiative could eventually serve as a model for other schools in the Bay Area.