Nashville students prepare a lesson on solar energy

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Even though the school year has come to an end, a group of fourth graders from Statton Elementary School in Madison have been assigned a unique summer project: learning to cook using solar energy.

This is not your typical backyard barbecue, but a creative STEM lesson taught by Ms. Danaye Sutton, a dedicated STEM teacher with almost a decade of experience at Statton Elementary.

The project involves transforming old pizza boxes into solar ovens, so students can learn about renewable energy in a practical way.

“I really wanted to get into STEM because there is so much creativity outside of STEM; there are no limits,” Sutton said. “STEM is important because it allows students to be creative. It allows them to think for themselves.”

Throughout her teaching career, Sutton has focused on empowering students to build their confidence and pursue their dreams. Her innovative approach led students to create book trailers, design board games, and even plan trips abroad.

“I won’t give you a plan. I’m giving you the tools. You create your own project and we often do that in classes, but here it can be done in an even better way,” she explained.

The solar oven project not only teaches students about solar energy, but also encourages them to put their knowledge into practice. To build the ovens, students used pizza boxes lined with black heat-retaining paper, sunlight-reflecting foil, and a mini hot dog as a test dish. However, their first attempts were met with challenges due to cloudy weather.

“I don’t think it would work because the sun doesn’t come up enough, and I don’t think we can get the right angle,” one student said.

Despite failures, we encourage students to try again during the summer break. Ms Sutton remains proud of their efforts and dedication, regardless of the outcome.