W5: The School that Runs on Kindness and Solar Power

As soon as the bell rang, the corridors of the teaching building became lively. Some students rushed to the lamppost by the playground to tap a button. Some students held empty plates and waited for the energy arrival notification in front of the testing table in the cafeteria. Others took pictures of the projector socket in the classroom, where a small green sun icon popped up on the screen. This is not a game, but a daily routine in a solar campus. Here, saving energy does not require teachers to remind them repeatedly, it’s what the students do.

Walking around the school, you will find that solar energy isn't just about rooftop panels, it's part of everything. The school's main building has a roof covered in dark blue solar panels that can generate electricity under the sun, and the energy spots on the ground make that process feel real.

The solar lamppost near the playground is a popular spot. It collects sunlight during the day and lights up the playground at night, and the sensor button on the side of the lamppost hides a little surprise. When you press the button, you will receive feedback of "+1 solar energy", which is a reward from the campus energy system. Put the empty plate on the solar sensor table at the canteen, and the machine will say in a funny voice: "Plate action done! + 2 energy, the earth says thanks!"

Even classrooms have ways to earn energy. Next to the projector plug, a cartoon sticker shows the plug talking to the sun, saying remember to send me home. After class, just unplug it, take a photo and upload it to the app, and the energy value increases the next day. There is an electronic screen for energy rankings outside the teacher's office, but it doesn't track grades. Instead, it shows each class's average energy savings. When a class fills its green bar, a sound goes off throughout the school.

The energy points aren’t just for show. Students can trade them in for cool stuff. After accumulating 50 energy points, you can borrow the campus's solar power bank. 100 points can be exchanged for a solar oven experience voucher to bake your own cookies with your friends. For 500 points, they can also apply for a starry night self-study session, decorating the classroom with solar lights and studying under warm yellow light.

The extra energy can be shared. The school stores extra power from sunny days, and each month, classes get to vote on where that energy goes. Maybe it's to the guy who fixes bicycles near the gate, helping him get a solar light for his shed. Or maybe it's the local senior center, so the elderly can use the air conditioning when it rains. After each power delivery, the community sends a thank-you letter and posts it on the school’s energy wall. The writing might be a bit messy, but it always catches people's eye.

In this school, no one will regard saving electricity as a chore. Students interact with solar panels like they are buddies. In science class, they watch how the panels change angle and talk about getting the most sun in the summer. In art class, they draw faces on the panels, a sad face when it rains, a smiley face when it's sunny. During breaks, you can hear kids saying, It's so sunny today, we're gonna get so many points!

As one student wrote, I used to think environmental protection was a big, complicated thing, but now it's just turning off the lights, enjoying a clean plate, and feeling good when our energy goes up. The solar panels keep working, turn every ray of sunlight into power, and turn kindness into light in the kids' hearts.