The CTE program at Ivy Academy in Soddy Daisy, TN, has received several recent accolades for their Solar Backpack project. Students, led by 2018 Harbor Freight Tools for Schools Prize for Teaching Excellence winner Jerry Webb, put their electrical skills to work by installing solar panels in backpacks to create portable, clean energy units. These innovative resources can be used for outdoor lessons where electronic devices are needed on Ivy Academy’s grounds. Webb and his students are also sending units to communities in North Carolina still recovering from flooding, as well as abroad to students and teachers and to medical clinics lacking consistent access to electricity.

Ivy Academy Named One of Ten Winners of CTE Momentum’s ‘Power Your Future Challenge’ | CTE Momentum, May 7

Ivy Academy Students Win Charter Champion Award for Solar-Powered Backpack Project | WDEF, May 14

Wattcycle Power Applauds Ivy Academy Receiving Charter Champion Award | May 17

What’s Right with Our Schools: Ivy Academy Solar Powered Backpacks | WDEF, May 19