Two Wisconsin High Schools Shine in Energy Conservation Competition

This spring, nine Wisconsin schools participated in Renew Our Schools, a six week competition encouraging students to investigate how their buildings use energy. Sponsored by FOCUS ON ENERGY® and KEEP - Wisconsin’s K–12 Energy Education Program, the competition ended on April 4, 2026, and combines hands on learning with real problem solving in the classroom.

This season, La Follette High School in Madison won in its first year participating. Mauston High School earned its second win. Each school will receive a $1,500 cash prize for energy efficiency projects.

La Follette High School

Green Club students competed at La Follette High School. They started by:
•    Conducting a schoolwide energy audit.
•    Using light meters to test lighting strategies.
•    Analyzing real‑time electricity data to understand how occupancy and equipment impact energy use.

La Follette High School Green Club students tour the building’s mechanical room to learn how HVAC systems and equipment influence daily energy use.

Students also toured the school’s mechanical systems and solar array, which now supplies roughly a third of the building’s power. Their outreach efforts included:

Social media.
Morning announcements.
Schoolwide “Unplug Day” to reduce unnecessary energy use.

"Our school uses a lot more energy than people realize, even when things are just sitting plugged in,” one student shared. “Learning how simple actions add up and seeing the data behind it really changed how we think about energy every day.”

The Green Club’s hard work led to creating a school energy policy, approved by all four assistant principals. These student-led habits will continue to be a part of the school’s long-term sustainability culture.

Green Club members examine the school’s rooftop solar array.

Mauston High School

Mauston students from the Environmental Science II class led their school's participation, completing tasks such as:

Performing a building-wide energy audit.
Exploring real-time and historical electricity data.
Analyzing how HVAC systems, kitchen equipment, and daily schedules affect energy use.

The class also toured several facilities, including their school’s mechanical systems, Ethos Green Power Cooperative headquarters, and even completed an energy audit at a Kwik Trip store.

Winning strategies included:

Sending out schoolwide reminders to shut down computers and lights, especially before spring break.
Working with the district’s technology staff to implement an automatic daily computer shutdown after 3:30 p.m.
Promoting energy-saving habits through flyers, morning announcements, and an all-school assembly.

Mauston High School students tour Ethos Green Power Cooperative to learn how solar panels are built and made into a working array.

One student highlighted the value of teamwork, saying, “Since the last time our school competed, we made some big changes. We divided the work so everyone had a role. This strategy helped us take on all the tasks and finish them.”

Participating Schools Across the State

Other schools in the Spring 2026 competition included:

Cornerstone Lutheran High School (Eau Claire)
Gilman High School
McFarland High School
Nekoosa High School
Northland Lutheran High School (Kronenwetter)
School for Agricultural and Environmental Studies (Waupun Area School District)
Story School (Milwaukee Public Schools)

“Each season we see new teams come in with fresh eyes, and returning schools bring their experience, but they all learn something valuable about how their building runs,” said Heather Feigum, Program Manager with Focus on Energy. “Once students start looking at real data, they notice things they hadn’t paid attention to before and begin to understand where simple changes can make a difference.”

Learn more about Renew Our Schools.