Kentucky Schools Earn National Honors for Student-Led Energy Innovation

Team Kentucky has invested over $2 million for energy education under the Beshear administration to-date

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Sept. 9, 2026) – Today, First Lady Britainy Beshear announced that two Kentucky schools earned national acclaim for their student-led energy education projects. Lloyd Memorial High School in Erlanger and Saratoga Homestead Academy were awarded “National School of the Year” honors at the National Energy Education Development’s (NEED) Youth Conference and Awards held in Washington, D.C. They were two of only eight schools to be awarded nationally.

“These projects and accomplishments underscore the importance of STEM education for Kentucky’s children,” said the First Lady. “Since Andy took office, Team Kentucky has provided over $2 million for energy education, ensuring students across the commonwealth have meaningful opportunities to learn and lead. By investing in our students today, we are building a brighter future for all Kentuckians. Congratulations to these schools.” 

Team Kentucky’s Office of Energy Policy (OEP) provides approximately $43,000 each year in State Energy Program (SEP) Funds to the NEED Project for teacher education, and $80,000 to Bluegrass Greensource (BGGS) for community-wide education and business and residential energy conservation workshops. These collaborations deliver workshops, community events, and classroom instruction—especially in high-energy-burden and Title I school districts helping to ensure that all Kentucky students and teachers have access to high-quality energy education.

The Youth Energy Conference and Awards celebrate and recognize outstanding student leadership, innovation, and achievement in energy education from across the nation—and beyond. Each year, top projects from participating states are selected for recognition at the Youth Awards ceremony. Projects submitted to the NEED Youth Awards are student-driven initiatives that address real-world energy challenges. Schools independently submit their projects for review by education and energy professionals. 

Lloyd Memorial High School was celebrated for its “Keeping it Green During Our Re-model” project, which got students involved during a major campus renovation. Lloyd Memorial’s project details can be viewed at https://youthawards.need.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Lloyd-Memorial-High-School-Erlanger-KY.pdf

At the same time, Saratoga Homestead Academy received the “National Homeschool of the Year” distinction. Clark Frank’s “Chicken Coop Energy Helpers Project” followed the journey of building a coop and run, raising chicks, collecting eggs, incubating and hatching, and even cooking eggs. Along the way, Clark explored ways to improve efficiency and conserve resources while caring for the flock.

From February through June 2026, OEP’s partnership with NEED and BGGS provided:

• Support for:
  • 51 educators
  • Over 40 schools
  • 12,569 students
  • 25,669 community members
• Five teacher workshops representing more than 28 schools
• 217 in-classroom energy lessons delivered to 4,260 students
• 12 schoolwide community events attended by 819 people
• 13 scholarships provided to students from three schools for attendance at the NEED Energy Conference and Youth Awards
• 60 students from five schools completed 2,175 hours of project work related to NEED Youth Award Projects, impacting 24,850 community members

“Thanks to the support of the Kentucky Office of Energy Policy, these schools had the tools, training, and resources needed to bring NEED’s Kids Teaching Kids About Energy goal to life,” said Executive Director of the NEED Project Mary E. Spruill. “These award-winning students spent their school year learning about energy in the classroom and then shared that knowledge with their peers, families, and communities. The Office of Energy Policy’s dedication to developing energy leadership in Kentuckians of all ages will make Kentucky’s energy future very bright.”

For more information about the Kentucky Energy Education Program or opportunities to participate, contact the Office of Energy Policy or visit https://eec.ky.gov/Energy/Programs/Pages/energy-education.aspx.

  ###

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.