Among those vocal and filling the high school library were drama club advisor Kayleigh Steinmetz and Wresting Coach Greg Burzynski. Days later and just prior to the commencing of the April School Board Meeting, the school board and public would take a tour of those places covered in Schneider’s presentation. So what’s up for additional future consideration at Stanley- Boyd? Yellow, blue, red, green and purple, to be exact, with each coded section on the projector map from April 20 representing a different concept to keep in mind for the future.

Among those things up for consideration as indicated in a multicolor map of the school premises were 21st Century Learning Spaces, a Field house, a Cafetorium, needed gym work and a remodel of the elementary school office to allow for greater visibility and better overall design. The 21st century learning spaces would take up the present high school cafeteria and Oriole ‘birdfeeder’ along with some middle school space, while a previous suggestion to remodel the area with courtyard near high school science rooms on the north side was moved in April’s presentation due to the high potential cost of needing to move supplies over the roof by crane to the courtyard. As to the updates themselves, no costs have yet been incurred by teh district.”

These are all concepts we’re talking about,” CESA Representative Charlie Schneider was quick to stress of the topics under consideration. But as to specifics?

“The only schools that say ‘we’re too big’ are schools whose enrollment has gone down over the years dramatically,” Schneider shared April 20 in response to a question from board members Chad Verbeten. On the other hand, schools that went against the will of the voters ended up coming up short—every last one.

“The schools that didn’t listen if we said ‘this is what the people will support’ and went above this, every last one was defeated in referendum.”

While faculty was enthusiastic for the upgrades, Stanley-Boyd District Superintendent Jeff Koenig said he didn’t think they were things the school should go to referendum for. Alongside the potential upgrades, for instance, was a roof repair schedule that would need to be factored in. It wouldn’t pay to have a brand new field house, if the old main building’s roof leaked. In other words, take it slow.

“I feel I need to bring everyone back down,” he said, with Schneider saying he appreciated the realism.

“I’m the dream guy,” Schneider said. “The numbers for me are up here,” he said, gesturing with his hand. “He (Koenig) is the one that actually has to write the checks.”

In the meantime, some things weren’t changing, like a decades- old display of Wisconsin bird life, moved around the school a couple time but still present on-site. CESA’s next scheduled appearance at Stanley-Boyd is in August.

Donation to Expand Solar Energy Capacity at CVTC

Couillard Solar Foundation to Provide 80 kW System at Energy Education Center

Eau Claire, WI – A donation from the Couillard Solar Foundation will significantly increase the energy harvested through solar energy at the Chippewa Valley Technical College’s Energy Education Center and provide expanded learning opportunities for students.

An 80-kW system is currently being installed with the help of students in the solar and wind applications class in the Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration program.

“Getting this technology into the technical colleges and high schools is really important,” said Cal Couillard, a CVTC graduate whose foundation previously helped sponsor solar projects at Eau Claire Memorial and North high schools. “We want the students to see how this technology works.”

“The exciting part is students are going to be working with the project,” said CVTC instructor Fred Kosier. “They are a huge part of installing the racking and the solar panels.”

On May 4, students began installing the racks to hold the bifacial solar panels. The first few panels were installed before the end of that week.

“It will be very beneficial for us to get that real-life experience,” said student Barrett Boeckmann of Osseo the day before work was to begin. “It’s not just looking at an array; it’s actually working on it and installing it.”

To provide students with such experiences and to help schools and other non-profits that may not ordinarily be able to afford money-saving solar systems is part of the goals of the Couillard Solar Foundation.

Cal Couillard, who attended Owen-Withee High School in his youth, graduated from CVTC in 1975 in what was then a fluid power technology program. He went on to UW-Madison, where he studied construction administration and built a model of an earth-sheltered passive solar house for a class, later designing and building a passive solar house for his own residence.

Couillard’s involvement in alternative energy only increased over the years. In 2018, when he sold his manufacturing company, Componex, Inc., he established the foundation. Since then, the foundation has supported the completion of over 100 solar projects for non-profit organizations.

“What’s different about the CVTC project is that it is a straight donation,” Couillard said, noting that support usually involves a matching donation with locally raised funds. Because of his personal connections with CVTC and desire to help technical colleges, the support was more generous.

“I want to jump-start the technical colleges,” Couillard said. “If you want to have an educated workforce that knows how to install solar, you need to get into the technical colleges. And I wanted to go back to some of the places that put me where I am today.”

Adam Wehling, dean of agriculture, energy and transportation, noted that the project vastly increases the Energy Education Center’s generation of energy from renewable sources for its own use. EEC currently has the capacity to generate 20 kW of electricity from solar and wind sources.

“This will supplement the energy we purchase for EEC,” Wehling said. “We have been generating about 5 to 10 percent of our energy onsite. This will put us at about 40 percent.”

Students are showing interest in renewable energy, he added.

“We have 40 students in our Renewable Energy technical diploma program,” Wehling said. “It’s an embedded certificate as part of the Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration program.”

“The size of the system, the bifacial panels and the adjustable racking are three reasons why this project is such an upgrade to our current solar systems,” said CVTC Instructor Jake Geissler.

Bifacial means that the panels can generate electricity from either side, Geissler added. In winter, when much of the sun’s rays reflect off the snow, the panels will be able to harness those reflected rays to create electrical energy. The adjustable racking will also help with snow shedding in winter.

“At certain times of the year, we can adjust the racks for the angle of the sun,” Kosier said. “There should be a lot of monitoring we can do as we change the panels and see what works best. We are going to be a testing site for these kinds of racks.”

Ron Wright, 53, a student from Stanley, said he returned to CVTC and chose the HVAC program because of the wide range of opportunities, including solar. “As we find a place for solar in the wider picture, I am seeing a lot of interest. It’s good that we have students here who will understand solar and know how to work with it,” he said.

With over 115 programs offered both online and on-campus, Chippewa Valley Technical College delivers superior, progressive technical education which improves the lives of students, meets the workforce needs of the region, and strengthens the community. CVTC programs are designed with input of business and industry to prepare graduates for today’s jobs, with 95 percent employed within six months of graduation and associate degree graduates earning an average annual salary of $47,452.

Superintendent Jeff Koenig stopped to speak where a roof leak was, at the juncture of the pool and gym.

Also pointed out during the pre-meetin tour was a line above the lockers on the gym wall needing to be addressed, as it represented a potential gym wall misalignment.

A long-term bird display at Stanley-Boyd High School has been moved around the school “a few times,” per Middle School Principal David Ludy during the tour, but isn’t going anywhere soon. Some things, just shouldn’t be updated.

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