Welcome to summer!

We hope everybody is enjoying the last days of school and looking forward to a relaxing and energizing summer! As a year-round program, KEEP will continue to provide support for energy education all summer long, so feel free to reach out with questions and kit requests as you work with students over the summer or start planning for next year. We also hope you’ll enjoy our summer professional development opportunities, so sign up today!

KEEP Launches New Wisconsin AgriSolar Lessons

Agrivoltaics (AgriSolar) is the practice of using the same land simultaneously for both solar energy and agricultural production. KEEP Resource Specialist Gina Smith worked with Chippewa Falls School District Agricultural Educator Jeanna Burgan and other partners to develop five AgriSolar lessons specific to Wisconsin.

The lessons are available in Google format, making it easy for educators to use and adapt them. Topics cover:

·      Lesson 1: What is AgriSolar?

·      Lesson 2: AgriSolar Photovoltaic Systems

·      Lesson 3: AgriSolar Plant Systems

·      Lesson 4: AgriSolar Animal Systems

·      Lesson 5: AgriSolar System Design

Summer Professional Development Opportunities!

Register now for the 10th Annual Green & Healthy Schools Conference

Our friends at Reflo and the Green Schools Consortium of Milwaukee have opened registration for the 10th Annual Green & Healthy Schools Conference held Friday, August 7, 2026, at the Morse School for the Gifted and Talented in Milwaukee.

The conference is an opportunity to connect with the Milwaukee area's greener, healthier schools movement, hear inspirational stories, connect with curricular and funding resources, and learn how schools in the Milwaukee area are removing asphalt and enhancing their schoolyards with outdoor classrooms, improved recreation, arts, green infrastructure, and project-based learning.

KEEP is excited to attend and exhibit, and we hope to see you there!

KidWind Worlds in review

Congratulations to all the students who competed in the 2026 World KidWind Challenge, held in Madison! One hundred twenty-five student teams competed representing 21 states and three additional countries - Estonia, Taiwan, and Thailand!

Multiple Wisconsin teams competed, demonstrating both wind turbines and solar houses, after winning in the Wisconsin state competition in March. The Driftless Dynamos competed in both wind and solar at the middle school level, and said their favorite part of the Worlds competition was seeing all the new turbines and meeting so many new people. Madinah Academy of Wisconsin sent two teams competing in elementary wind. Their favorite part of the competition was testing their turbine and getting better results.

Team Sigma, from Mauston High School, was a champion in the high school wind division. Team members said that some of their favorite parts of the competition were the efficiency test, plus getting the opportunity to meet all the other competitors. Team Sigma also competed in KidWind Worlds last year, and said that even just since last year they’ve seen impressive improvements in the technology being demonstrated – including one team that built their turbine blades out of plastic recycled from 3-D printers.

Onalaska Ohms, from Onalaska High School, was the other Worlds award winner from Wisconsin, coming home with a Judge’s Award. Finally, team Wind Storm from Darlington competed in the middle school wind challenge. They particularly loved seeing all the other creative designs from teams around the country and the world.

KEEP staff volunteered at several “instant challenges,” where teams were challenged to work together to solve a surprise puzzle in a limited amount of time. Whether it was wind turbine competitors challenged to wire up a circuit of solar panels, solar house competitors challenged to design a gearbox with a given gear ratio, or international students challenged to compete in a foreign language (a massive shout-out to the UW-Madison students who provided translation assistance!), all the participants got the chance to step out of their comfort zones and prove their mettle. And as KEEP staff, we’ve also been inspired to imagine more activities for Wisconsin students to engage with energy.

A huge thank you to Allison Bender, who leads KidWind Wisconsin, along with all of the KidWind staff, parents, volunteers, and coaches who make the competition possible each year. And congratulations again to all of the students who competed. You’re making the world a brighter place!

Feeling inspired? Sign up for our upcoming KidWind workshop on October 10 to learn how you can support your students in next year’s KidWind competition!

Cool Career Day 2026 - Replays available!

On May 5, more than 100 classrooms from across Wisconsin joined KEEP and CESA 12 online for Cool Career Day! The event provided students with a behind-the-scenes peek at a variety of careers through presentations from five professionals who work in Wisconsin.

This year, we learned from:

• John Swanson, paramedic firefighter, Ashland
• Jon Bertolas, Butterfly Wing supervisor, Milwaukee Public Museum
• Dr. Kelley Dentino, orthodontist, Brookfield
• Andy McGlenn, football coach, UW-La Crosse
• Andrew Budzinski, principal engineer for the UW-Madison racing team
  

Each speaker shared from their place of work, demonstrated tasks they perform on the job, answered student questions and inspired students to consider new possibilities for their futures.
 

Visit the Cool Career Day website to watch the replays in your classroom or to sign up for next year’s event!

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The KEEP program is funded with generous support by Alliant Energy, Madison Gas and Electric, We Energies, Wisconsin Public Service, WPPI Energy, and Xcel Energy. 

Published June 2026