Giffords Award Goes to Davidson

Folks in Washington, D.C., are noticing the energy conservation efforts at Davidson Elementary School, 3950 E. Paradise Falls Drive.

During a Feb. 4 assembly, fourth- and fifth-graders rubbed elbows with Democratic U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who represents Tucson, and her colleague, Rep. Earl Blumenauer from Portland, Ore. Giffords presented Davidson with her Congressional Award for Solar Excellence "in recognition of outstanding commitment to innovation, creation or usage of solar energy."

Fifth-grader Zahra Mohammadpour took the stage with the legislators, along with Trudy Eaton, a former Davidson student who helped with the school's energy savings efforts and now attends Doolen Middle School. They pointed out that Davidson is the first TUSD school recognized by the US Green Building Council as a LEEDS school, which means it has a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating. This Green Building rating system is a nationally accepted benchmark for design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.

In addition, Davidson has established a garden in cooperation with local government entities that the community can also use.

In a presentation that drew laughs from the audience, Mohammadpour interrupted Principal Art DeFilippo's introduction of Giffords as a singer, songwriter and actress who appeared for 15 years on the television show, "Live with Regis and Kathie Lee," to tell him he had the wrong person. She informed him that the television star was Kathie Lee Gifford, not the congresswoman who was on their stage. DeFilippo said he'd found the information on Wikipedia, leading his student to warn him about the sources he uses.

After Giffords biography had been "corrected," the congresswoman told Davidson students that she was happy to see her fifth-grade teacher, Claudia Tate, in the audience. Tate is now a TUSD reading coach.

Giffords said "Davidson has done something very special in becoming a LEEDS certified school. "You've taken a wonderful resource-our sun-and harnessed it for your use," she said. "You're part of the solution to what's happening with greenhouse gases and global warming."

Blumenauer said he and Giffords are members of the 166-member Congressional bicycle caucus, which uses calories instead of fossil fuel to get around. "You can save money, energy and the planet with the decisions you make," he told the students.

Students attending the assembly were from the Professional Learning Community, the Davidson Recycling Club and fifth-graders from Lineweaver Elementary School, 461 S. Bryant, who want to have their school get one-third of its power from solar energy by 2020.

After the assembly, guests went on a student-led tour of Davidson, viewing the pipes in the library ceiling that deliver heat and air-conditioning, the recycling bins, windows placed to reduce electricity consumption and solar panels above the outdoor walkway. In a conference room, students highlighted their community clean up project, the recycling club, the birding club, the LEEDs designation and experiments they've conducted in Dennis Rosemartin's fourth-grade class to learn more about energy.

-- By Sharon Dunham
Communications & Media Relations
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